Be the Confirmation

I know without a shadow of a doubt that community makes a difference. No one understands what it's like to be a woman more than a woman. After hosting event after event with powerful women from all over the country, I'm more convinced than ever that when women get together powerful things take place. Don't believe me? Let's go back to Luke 1.

Mary was on a mission to get around another woman who could understand her favor. The text tells us that she headed to Judah with haste. My girl Mary wasn't wasting any time trying to get plugged in with someone who understood what she was up against. Chiiillleee, Mary didn't even have to spill the tea to catch Elizabeth up on what happened because the moment she opened her mouth, Elizabeth already knew that something was going on.

And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” (Luke 1:41–45)

You know what's so amazing about Elizabeth's response to Mary? She confirmed that what the angel said would happen had happened. If you look back at the conversation between the angel and Mary, the angel didn't say that Mary was pregnant in that moment. The angel didn't even say when she would get pregnant. The angel simply said that it was going to happen.

It's not until Mary had the encounter with Elizabeth that we recognize Mary had stepped into what God promised. That's not where the exchange ended though. Elizabeth confirmed Mary's pregnancy, but Mary also made Elizabeth's baby leap and then filled Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit. Some theologians believe Elizabeth's baby was no longer living, and that the baby leaped because the power of what Mary was carrying invaded what was trying to die in Elizabeth.

I'm going to be straightforward with you. As I'm writing this book, I have one goal and one goal only: to either make your baby leap or confirm what God is doing in your life. Imagine if we as women took on the responsibility of not just becoming someone worthy of being honored and admired but becoming the kind of woman who makes every woman feel honored and valuable.

That may require you to not allow your pride or ego to walk in the room before you do. Even so, I guarantee you will never lose when celebrating another woman's success. If you had to, you could go at this alone, but it would be a terrible injustice if you robbed another woman of the support and encouragement that could push her to the next dimension.

Whether it's a stranger on the street or a lifelong relationship, create an opportunity to celebrate the strength of the women God allows you to cross paths with. The road ahead for Mary and Elizabeth would be challenging. The scripture doesn't tell us much more about how they interacted or when they saw each other again. We do know that Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist who would later baptize Jesus, yet the only documented interaction between Mary and Elizabeth is detailed in Luke 1…the gift each of them needed.

You'll have some encounters that are not meant to be lifelong friendships. I told my husband that I think the notion of BFFs is as romanticized to young girls as the notion of fairy-tale endings and Prince Charming. We want so badly to hang on to friendships for a lifetime. That may not be everyone's story, but we can make sure the time we've been given leaves a beautiful impression on someone's life forever.

From WOMEN EVOLVE: BREAK UP WITH YOUR FEARS AND REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR LIFE by Sarah Jakes Roberts. Reprinted with permission of the publisher.