I am a strong woman. There is no getting around it. I know that there are times that I am intimidating and (dare I say) loud and sometimes come across as pushy and demanding.

In my 20’s and 30’s I really fought against this and so wanted to be different. To meek. To be mild-mannered. To be gentle. I did not like the skin I was in (and, to be honest, I am not sure if many folks around me liked it either.) But in myself, I could not be different. I couldn’t change. I couldn’t stop being my selfish, rebellious, strong-willed woman.

That all changed in 1992 when I came to the end of myself and cried out to God. I bowed my knees to the one true God and received Him as my Lord and Savior and the gift of His Spirit living in me. Now, because of this, I have the supernatural power to say no to unrighteousness and yes to righteousness. Oh, it was definitely not an overnight transformation – just ask my friends and mentors at the time. But it was a process…it was movement…it was going from glory to glory.

The biggest recognition of this movement happened after I had lived in Houston for a couple of years. I had returned to Atlanta for the holidays or a baseball game and several people commented, “Becky, you just seem softer.” It was not a new hairstyle, weight loss or better make up (even though some of those things happened) but it was my very countenance. The Lord literally changed me from the inside out.

Proverbs 4:9 says, “It will give you a graceful garland for your head. It will hand you a beautiful crown.” The “it” in this verse is wisdom. I read that to mean that as we get wiser in the Lord, it will be reflected in our outward appearance. I know quite a few wise women in the faith who are in their 70s and 80s and to see them you would say, “No way!” On the other hand, I have seen lots of women in their 40s and 50s who look like they are in their 70s and 80s. What’s the difference? Maturity in the Lord

Now am I still a strong woman? For sure! But I pray it is tempered by the Holy Spirit and much more grace and mercy flows out of me than ever before.

This quote by Millie Leung really spoke to me, “A strong woman believes that she is strong enough to face her journey, and a woman of faith believes that it is in her journey that she becomes strong.” Before Christ, I thought I was strong enough but in 27+ years of doing this, I realized that in my weakness He is strong and that is what I want above all else.

What about you? Are you strong the Lord or in your own strength? How is your countenance? It reflects your heart…is it reflecting what you want?