Not too long ago I received an email regarding an article I had written. The email was not harsh but laid out reasons this person was concerned and upset with what was published. I took a deep breath and walked away from the computer. I forwarded it to my boss to get another perspective and to see how to best move forward.  

A few days before that email, I had been reading in Ephesians with the Proverbs 31 First 5 App. Thoughts from Ephesians 4:26-27 began to run through my head, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.” Lysa TerKeurst pointed out that we should not be consumed by our anger. We should not let hard situations run through our heads at night. My boss was in a different time zone. This email issue was not going to get fixed before I went to bed that night, but I could choose to not replay what I was going to respond back with, nor rehash what I should have written in the post instead. And that is what I did. I chose to let God work and wait for him to help me respond. 

The situation did eventually work out and things were edited. The morning after I finished the final edits, I read Ephesians 6:7-8 “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” I smiled because I felt I had really served in a way that was honoring the Lord. Philippians 1:6 came to mind, and I realized something: God has been working on my character. For me to not respond back in a defensive tone, angry and hurt; to not berate myself for messing up, THIS is a work of the Holy Spirit. 

I’m in my late forties now. When I pause and think of the woman I was in my twenties, I can see God’s work in her life. I want to encourage you younger women to keep seeking out the Lord and relying on the Holy Spirit to help you. And as for you who are closer to my age or are more mature, let us continue to seek Him “until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).