Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
by Hannah Fleming
So, I got a call, and the voice on the other end of the line excitingly asked me to be a vice presidential nominee for South Dakota WELCA. “This must be a joke,” I said to myself. With her passionate encouragement, I soon realized it wasn’t a joke. Then I got a silent reminder that I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
Even though this is all new to me, with lessons from Abraham and the widow of Zarephath, I humbly embrace this responsibility. Abraham had no clue where God was sending him, but he obeyed and went anyway. He made a choice to trust God and go to an unknown destination.
Choices that impact our lives
Every day we make choices that impact our lives and that of others. The question is, are we willing to take our choices a step further even when it is out of our comfort zone? The poor widow of Zarephath did just that.
She had a lot going on in her life. Then Elijah showed up and asked her for water. He even pushed it when he asked her to bring him some bread with the water.
She replied, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” (1 Kings 17:12)
Stepped out of the comfort zone
However, this widow stepped out of her physical, emotional and mental pain to cater to Elijah’s requests. She selflessly chose faith in Elijah’s God, probably not realizing that God had chosen her situation to help us grow our faith.
I hope that the widow of Zarephath’s story will remind us how special we are to be women of God and Women of the ELCA with the purpose of committing “ourselves to grow in faith.”
I feel blessed to be part of such a wonderful group of women! Let’s work together in promoting the mission of Christ as we take a journey of faith in the Lord. We do not know what lies ahead, but we do know that God is walking alongside us.
Hannah Fleming is the new vice president of the South Dakota Synodical Women’s Organization. This message ran in the SWO’s summer newsletter.
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Congratulations on stepping out in faith! I answered a call to president of NEPA synodical president in 2011 at a very difficult time in my life. Having the support of all of the spirit-filled women around me kept me going. Taking on the position also resurfaced a call to ministry. I never looked back from that point on and just kept following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. My prayer for you is to accept the position and move forward with faith! God is at work within the Women of the ELCA. Something amazing will arise out of your time in your new position.