The Sisterhood.

I am incredibly blessed to be part of a women's leadership group that meets bi-monthly. It's a place where each of my friends can come as they are and be at a level of vulnerability where God can heal and bring freedom into our hearts.

My pastor once said that small groups can bring three levels of honesty; honest, more honest, and most honest. I think my group is the latter.

I have come to acknowledge that this is group is truly a gift. Not everyone is given this and I really wish every woman was able to experience this gift of friendship.

About a month ago we had a guest come and speak to our group about the sisterhood. It resonated in my heart and I wanted to write about it.

The value of the sisterhood comes from Titus 2:1-5.

You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Here, "older women" does not necessarily mean age but spiritual maturity. The key here is to spur each other on to give God the glory.

There are three obstacles that block the way of the sisterhood:
1.) Envy - feeling of resentment & jealously towards others because of another's possession or good fortune/talents.

2.) Jealously - constant desire to excel other people & keep their admiration.

3.) Covetousness - intense desire to possess something or someone that belonts to another person; aka idolatry (Col 3:5, 1 Cor 5:10-11)