By Becky Beresford
Brave Women Series - Becky's Story
I didn’t think I would be writing this last post so soon. In my mind the Brave Women Series would carry on for a decade or more. I had no plans to stop highlighting God’s stories of courage.
But the Lord often has us say goodbye before we are truly ready.
And He regularly brings us to new beginnings before we think we are prepared.
"The Lord often has us say goodbye before we are truly ready. And He regularly brings us to new beginnings before we think we are prepared."
This past year has been a year of goodbyes for our family. We said goodbye to loved ones as they breathed their last and went to be with Jesus. I said goodbye to Illinois, my home state of 41 years, as we moved to North Carolina, far from those who rooted us in comfort and care. We said goodbye to our oldest dog because he would not do well on the cross-country journey. He is living his best retired-beagle-life with my parents, and he is thriving, but we still miss him. We said goodbye to our kids’ schools and the wonderful team of professionals who have served my 13-year-old autistic son since he was in preschool. We said goodbye to familiarity and known routes and routines as our family adjusts to a new climate, a new city, a new normal.
This newest goodbye – the ending of the series – feels like saying goodbye to a part of me. God has used the Brave Women Series to reach many people around the world, but the first heart that has been moved each week is mine. Wisdom and truth are woven into the stories we tell and every story has changed me. I’ve wept over words reverberated in my soul because similar struggles foster solidarity and community reminds us we are never alone. We have cultivated a sisterhood here. These women feel like family… and in the truest sense, they are.
"Wisdom and truth are woven into the stories we tell and every story has changed me. I’ve wept over words reverberated in my soul because similar struggles foster solidarity and community reminds us we are never alone."
Within the Body of Christ, we have such hope. Unlike temporary goodbyes, we can never really say farewell to our Sisters in Jesus if we are part of the family of God. We will all meet each other one day when we stand face-to-face with our gracious Maker. We build more than earthly bonds when we open our lives to each other, we create eternal ones. My heart is eternally connected to the women who have poured out their stories, as well as you, the readers who have welcomed their God-given wisdom into your lives.
"We build more than earthly bonds when we open our lives to each other, we create eternal ones."
But as with any act of surrender, saying goodbye is often accompanied with sweet sorrow.
Grief and glory go hand-in-hand. Goodbyes usher in new beginnings. Release precedes receiving. Obedience opens the door to what the Lord has planned next. We can be faithful in both the leaning in and the letting go.
"Grief and glory go hand-in-hand. Goodbyes usher in new beginnings. Release precedes receiving. Obedience opens the door to what the Lord has planned next. We can be faithful in both the leaning in and the letting go."
Tears stream down my face as I write these final words, and I am reminded of the seasons in humanity summed up beautifully by King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes.
“For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-5 NLT)
Grief plays a part in goodbyes, and yes, we need to walk through the sadness and release what was in order to receive what will be. But there is glory on the other side grieving, and it is available in the present as we process the pulling away with our Savior.
"There is glory on the other side grieving, and it is available in the present as we process the pulling away with our Savior."
When we lay things down at the foot of the Cross…
When we offer our whole selves to Christ, who fully modeled the life of servanthood, sacrifice, and surrender…
When we entrust our hearts to the faithful love of a Father who reaches out His hand and says "Come", even when we don’t know where He is taking us...
We experience the reality that although goodbyes are hard, they can also simultaneously be good.
"We experience the reality that although goodbyes are hard, they can also simultaneously be good."
Jesus is tenderly close to the broken-hearted, but He doesn’t just leave us in our sorrow. He comforts us, heals us, and restores us. Although the sorrow may last for the night, true joy comes in the morning through the process of Spirit-led mourning. Tears of lament can lead to tears of laughter if we allow the Lord to lead us toward the Promised Land.
"Tears of lament can lead to tears of laughter if we allow the Lord to lead us toward the Promised Land."
And so, Dear Reader, will you join me as we journey into this great unknown together? I do not know for sure what God has next, but I do believe ending the Brave Women Series is needed for a different and bigger beginning. We can trust the One who reassures us when it’s time to go.
Thank you for allowing me to share these stories of Christlike courage with you. I pray I have stewarded them well. God has new plans for all of us on the nearing horizon.
What an honor and joy it’s been to serve you in this space.
Your Sister in Christ,
Becky
Brave Woman Manifesto
Make sure to check back next week as another courageous Sister shares her story. And by the way...
You are Brave!
No matter what you are facing, God has made you in His image, which means He equips you with His courage, strength, and power. I would love to connect more and give you a FREE gift - the BRAVE WOMAN MANIFESTO: Five Things to Tell Yourself When Life Gets Hard. Click HERE to sign up for my monthly newsletter and you’ll receive the FREE Manifesto, as well as recent blog posts, updated resources and personal details delivered only to my empowered email tribe.
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About Becky
Becky Beresford lives in North Carolina and is happily outnumbered by her husband and three wonderful boys. She is an author, speaker and coach with a Master's Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship from Moody Theological Seminary. Becky loves encouraging God’s Daughters to embrace Christ-centered empowerment through the truth found in the gospel. Her work has been featured in large online communities including Crosswalk, (in)courage, iBelieve, HuffPost, DaySpring, and she recently became a writer for Proverbs 31 Ministries’ First 5 writing team. Becky’s book with Moody Publishers, She Believed HE Could, So She Did, releases in March.
Connect with Becky at BeckyBeresford.com and sign up to become a part of her Empowered Email Tribe. You can also follow her on Instagram and Facebook.