The Power of Sisterhood: Women Spurring Women to Do Hard and Good Things

Remember Donna? My workout partner who is 25 years my senior and who frequently out-lifts, out-runs, and out-performs me? The other day, when our workout was over, our trainer (and our dear friend) invited us to stay for bonus burpees. Yes, bonus burpees. 

Of course I put on my coat and headed for the door. Who needs bonus burpees? Not me. I said I had to go educate the next generation and started walking out. When I glanced back to say goodbye to Donna, she was poised to start the burpees. Without complaint.

Ugh. Fine. In an instant, my coat was off and I was standing next to Donna, ready to start the bonus burpees. She had said nothing. But her mere action of standing ready to do a hard and good thing provoked me to be willing to do the same. 

This is the power of sisterhood: women watching women do hard and good things, thus enabling us to do more hard and good things.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” 

We were made for community and we were made for good works. When we gals meet together, and when we stir one another up to love and good works, God is glorified and we all benefit. 

This has been profoundly true in my own life. 

• It was my girlfriends in college, who loved Jesus, who role-modeled for me what complete surrender to him looks like.
• It was a couple of women, just a bit older than me when I was new to my faith, who showed me how to treasure the word of God. 
• It was Bible-teaching women who showed me how to plumb the depths of scripture when I was new to ministry.  
• It was women who were missionaries on the other side of the world who showed me that Christ can be my joy and my strength when the labor is hard. 
• It was my girlfriends who locked arms with me and pushed me to memorize entire books of the Bible together with them. 
• It was other adoptive moms who displayed for me the gospel in action and girded up my faith in our own adoptive journey. 
• It was Christian moms a few years ahead of me who showed me how to rear my own girls in grace and truth. 
• It was Christian wives down the road ahead of me who showed me how to lay down my life for my husband. 
• It has been my girlfriends who have met with me every single week for almost two decades now to study together and pray together and hold one another accountable.
• It has been my prayer partners who have reminded me of God’s truth and pointed me back to him in all things. 
• And it’s women now, in my current church and community, who are showing me and pushing me to walk with Jesus in this season of life.

It has been women in my life who have shown me over and over and over what it looks like to love God and love my neighbor. As I have walked life with them, they have spurred me on to good works. Truly, I would not have pursued Christ without their godly influence. 

I am convinced the best way women can serve one another—and even the entire world—is to meet together and to encourage one another to love and good works. 

If you are a woman seeking to follow Jesus solo, you will not make it. You will grow weary and wander. You need your sisters. Look around you and find just a couple other ladies who love the Lord and ask them to get together with you. Pour some coffee, open up the Bible, read a few verses together, talk about them, share your joys and sorrows, pray together, and spur one another on to some good works in Jesus’s name this week. And then do it again next week and the week after that. 

Be Donna to another woman. Be in community with other women and stand ready to do hard and good things along with them. It is absolutely for your good. And God’s glory.