Today is International Women’s Day. We celebrate the stories of trailblazers like Rosa Parks, Leymah Gbowee, and ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton.
But what about those of us who spend our days working hard, caring for our loved ones, and getting into bed feeling as if we’ve hardly started our to-do lists, let alone left our marks on society? Are we no less bold, courageous, or inspirational?
In Hope in the Dark, her manifesto on acting boldly, author Rebecca Solnit writes, “In Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of boat owners rescued people… None of them said, I can’t rescue everyone, therefore it’s futile; therefore, my efforts are flawed and worthless…”
We can’t all rescue everyone. We won’t all end up on the evening news for acts of valor or have our stories shared on International Women’s Day, but we can all be bold enough to get in our “boats”—to be on the lookout for those who need us.
This women’s history month let’s also celebrate women everywhere who are bold enough to hear God calling and follow wherever they are led.
This message is excerpted from “Are you bold enough to hear God’s calling and answer it?” by Sarah Carson from the March 8, 2021, blog of the Women of the ELCA. Today is International Women’s Day.
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