WoI

What came to your mind when you saw the letters "WoI"?

Several things came to mind and I'll share 4 of them:

One thing I've always desired to be is a

Woman of Integrity

Although it is not the easiest "ambition" to achieve, I've found that it is a critical quality every Christian must obtain & maintain to live a good life. The simplest and nicest defintion of Integrity I've heard is: saying what you mean and meaning what you say.

Here are some things the Bible says about Integrity:

"The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the willful contrariness and crookedness of the treacherous shall destroy them."  (Prov 11:3 - Amplified).

"People with integrity walk safely,

but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall." (Prov 10:9 - NLT).

"The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them."

(Prov 20:7 - NLT).

The thing that struck me about the first 2 verses is they clearly spell out the pros and cons of being a person of integrity. The 3rd verse also resonated with me because "blessed are their children who follow them." So the onus of our children being & remaining blessed rests on us...we must ensure that they follow after us.

It is up to each of us to "Direct (y)our children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it." (Prov 22:6 - NLT). The easiest way to direct them is to encourage them to: " This verse leads nicely into the next WoI...

Influence is one thing that every human being has. As Mrs. Pastor, it has less to do with what we say as against what we actually do or are "seen to do". Influence is the power to affect with or without any apparent effort or intention to.

In my years as Mrs. Pastor, I've come to find out that my circle of influence is wider than I know...simply because of the well-known ripple effect. As we know, when you drop something in water, the impact goes further than the point at which the thing was dropped.

This ripple effect also underlies my desire to be a Woman of Issachar*. In addition to being a woman who has a word in due season, it is important to be well-informed so I can understand the times and know what I need to do so I'm doing the right thing at the right time. I have an urgency with this because as Mrs. Pastor, what you do or don't do has an impact on others and could influence them. Therefore, it is imperative to know and do the right things and be in position to guide others likewise. People sometimes look to us for guidance...

Finally, to excel as a WoI, we need to be Women of Involvement...

It pays to be involved in the ripple effect of your influence. To do this, you must have at least 3 "A"s in your life - amiable, accessible and authentic.

Your integrity and influence cannot "rub off" on others if you do not take the time to be relational, reachable and real.

If you put yourself (or others put you) on a pedestal...do the world around you and yourself a favour -

"Step down".

There is nothing you have achieved or possess that you were not given - so why don't you take a moment to give to others?

In aspiring to become and/or remain a WoI, let's summmarize by saying:

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. 

If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters.  ~Alan Simpson

In other words, be a Woman of Integrity first and all other things will follow...

P.S. 3 months ago, the Lord blessed me with a namesake. I cannot but pray that she grows up to be a WoI - praying that, in addition to her parents, I an involved in her life so I can inform and influence her so she lives the safe life of integrity. 



Reference:
*1 Chrononicles 12:32 - From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.

 

You may want to read: http://wowconnectathisfeet.blogspot.com/2011/02/woman-of-integrity.html