How to Worship The Lord Through Your Female Friendships
Today was an interesting day with my women's life group. You are probably wondering what on earth this has to do with worshipping Jesus, or even with anything at all. Let me tell you. What was the last thing you talked about with all of your women friends? Do you spend your days talking about guys, life, or Jesus?
I realized today that the majority of my life is spent talking about shallow things. One of my favorite memories is from graduate school. I was studying social work at a Christian university and there was a small group of us girls that would get together at least once a week and hang out. As you can imagine our conversations were very intense. We were all studying social work and wanted to study Jesus with our degrees. Some nights we would come up with nonprofits to help the world. Other days we would watch something really silly to take a break from doing social work all day. The thing that sticks out the most to me is we really worshipped the King in our conversations.
Lately, I have noticed complaining, lots of talk about guys, and negativity about life in conversations. Don't get me wrong - it is great to discuss these things but they should not be the majority of our interactions with people. As Christians, it is our job to ensure our conversations are edifying God. Paul tells us in the Bible, "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (Phil. 4:8). If we as Christians have the ability to change topics to something more Godly, we should be doing so.
At my women's life group, this was how we conducted our lives. It was amazing and actually uplifted our day and made us happier. We decided to visit an apple orchard and had quite the drive ahead of us. One of the women suggested we listen to Bethel music on our way there. We had a great time of worship in the car. On the way back that led us into a deep conversation about the ways we can worship God in our daily lives.
Each person had their own way of communicating and praising God. One of the ways is in how you communicate with others. Personally, I explained how I related to God through music. I have favorite singers such as For King & Country, Jonathan Thulin, Natalie Grant, Tenth Avenue North, and Hollyn. I start each morning by listening to my Hollyn Pandora playlist. This makes my day go smoother and brings me closer to God.
Another woman talked about how much she enjoys sermons and listening to the Bible throughout her work day. She stated that her work allowed and encouraged her to listen to sermons. This woman discussed how she enjoyed the conversations she had with coworkers due to them listening to the sermons. Her favorite preacher to listen to is Andy Wommack. Some other great preachers to listen to are Billy Graham and Francis Chan.
The other woman in the car had a different perspective on worshipping God. She enjoyed worshipping God through words. This woman expressed that verbal prayers were a lot harder for her than writing feelings on paper. She said her feelings flowed when pen was to paper. She keeps a prayer box next to her bed, and every time she had an unanswered prayer she writes it down. She "casted her cares before the Lord" and then trusted that He would answer those prayers. Instead of finding the nearest person to share all of her complaints with she took her requests before the Lord.
There are many ways to communicate with God. It may be through your talents. I have friends who are incredibly gifted at art and dance. Their music and moves speak to Someone greater than themselves. When my friend talks about dancing her face lights up. Another woman I know does hand lettering and makes Scripture beautiful. She takes the words and changes them into drawn fonts that catch your eye right away. Each of these gifts are amazing ways of expressing God's importance in their lives.
These are great ways for us to worship the Lord. It is important to continually worship God. David says, "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be on my mouth" (Psalm 34:1). Knowing God helps us know who we are. Being in touch with the One who created us reveals more of who we are and shows Whose we are. Let us worship the King every day in our own ways so that we stay connected to Him. Live by example and encourage your friends to worship the Lord through the interactions you have with each other.