Women’s History Month: Who is MY Elizabeth?

This March is celebrated as Women’s History Month, which is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society, corresponding with International Women’s Day on March 8

Am sure you will remember earlier on in the year, we celebrated the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act which gave the vote to some women for the first time #Vote100 and the 1928 Equal Franchise Act which gave the vote to all women over the age of 21.

Not being bias but I strongly believe WE are the backbone of society. We have so many qualities that make us stand out like Empathy, Strength, Attention to Detail, Calm under Pressure, Intuition, Being Open, Support, Collaborators amongst others.

A woman is the only person I know that can carry the burden of the family without the expectation that someone will feel her pain or cry her tears. She is always the first one to wake up and the last to go to bed. She is courageous and independent. A woman will do whatever it takes to survive and my final phase is that
SHE is the backbone that holds everyone together (. . . behind every strong man there is a strong woman).

Well, I decided to revisit an old blog post titled: Who is My Elizabeth? About this time last year, I was pondering about my 2017 and the excitable journey ahead and whilst doing that; had time to evaluate on various relationships  I felt that the journey I was embarking on, needed some serious, loyal and dependable passengers on the ride with me so it is essential for clarity and oneness of mind who I had to chose. 

It is well known that you get a group of women together and we can talk and talk for hours (yes we do like a talk or two as we can’t help it), that is how God wired us. When I have something big happening in my life, after talking to my beloved mother, my next impulse is to call some of my inner circle of sistas (you should always have an inner circle of dependable friends) to seek counsel from or just pour yourself out to with no judgment whatsoever. I have been blessed to surround myself with some amazing sista-network like Inspired Women of Worth (iWoW) or my amazing 89’ers from the boarding school days at the prestigious Federal Government Girls College, Abuloma (FGGC Abuloma) in Nigeria.

I remember then receiving a text from some of our inner circle of sistas on a topic that had been on my mind and it was titled: Who is my ELIZABETH? This was serious food for thought!

When Mary, was given the biggest news of her life, she had no husband to confide in. Her first instinct after her visit from the angel of the Lord was to immediately go out and seek Godly counsel from her cousin Elizabeth. Mary didn’t waste any time, she went with haste. 

As a Christian woman, who is your Elizabeth? Who do you rush to in a hurry? Who do you seek for your Godly counsel? If you don’t have an Elizabeth of your very own, ask God to put one in your life. Below are a few characteristics to look for in your Elizabeth. 

Your Elizabeth should:

• Have a steadfast walk with the Lord.
• Give Godly counsel in truth and love.
• Encourage you in your walk in faith.
• Encourage you in your singleness or marriage, studies, career, and relationships.
• Be someone whom you desire to learn from.
• Pray for you and encourage you when you are down and out with life stress.
• Rejoice in your successes.
  
• See your God-given gifts and encourage you to use them.
  

Your Elizabeth should not:

• Gossip with others about things you have shared.
• Disrespect your partner or family.
• Remind you of past failures, or make fun of your shortcomings.
• Pull you away from others.
• Discourage you from serving the Lord.
• Be in competition with you, or insecure in your achievements.
• Your Elizabeth should not take the Glory of God for herself by saying I prayed for her that’s why she is driving this car or that’s why she has gotten that job.

The last photo (above) shows some of the most important ‘Elizabeths‘, I have known all my life and though, we may not speak often, I know that there is a listening ear who believes in me and my purpose and I would not trade them for the world! This is what you call Sista-Love.

Take a moment, evaluate those around your circle then ask yourself, “Who is my ELIZABETH?” 

Happy Women’s History Month Beloveds

Yours in love – The Renaissance Lady ©