By Trina Pockett
Harriett Tubman, Mother Teresa. Rosa Parks. Amy Carmichael. Sara Groves. The ONE Moms. Andrea Jenkins. What do these women have in common? They are all influential.
These women have incredible stories of leading in a time of adversity. Harriett Tubman literally led people to freedom. Rosa Parks stayed seated to fight injustice. Mother Teresa served the poor. Amy Carmichael saved women from a life of forced prostitution. Sara Groves has taken up the fight against human trafficking. The ONE MOMs are using their voices to fight poverty. And Andrea Jenkins shared her personal story with me.
I don’t think that any of these influential women were trying to make history; they just took the opportunities placed before them to make a difference in this world.
I think Mother Teresa said it best with “We can do no great things. Only small things with great love.”
You’ve probably never heard of Andrea Jenkins, but she is an influential woman, in a very private kind of way.
Actually she was virtually a stranger to me until the day I received a phone call from her. I was 22 years old, pregnant with our second child, and recently diagnosed with cancer. I was terrified. Andrea was a mom in the MOPS group I attended. Unbeknownst to me, Andrea had battled cancer and was in remission. She hadn’t told anyone what she had gone through, but after hearing about my diagnosis, she decided to share her story with me.
Andrea called me and shared candidly about her experience through cancer. She told me how the chemotherapy might affect my body, my emotions, and my spirit. I had tons of questions and she took the time to answer each one. I hung up the phone with a sigh of relief.
That phone call meant the world to me. It gave me hope that I was not alone. She had walked this road. She had already fought this battle.
Small things with great love.
Andrea saw a need and decided to take action. In my book, it makes her brave and heroic just like Harriett Tubman and Amy Carmichael. Andrea taught me the importance showing selfless love, even when there is a personal cost involved.
The truth is that every woman has something to share to influence others. It might be influencing through advocacy or activism, leading in a time of adversity, or by sharing our personal stories to encourage and uplift.
We must ask, where has God placed us? How can we use our influence to make a difference in this world?
This world needs more women who aren’t afraid to share their voices; Women who will stand up against injustice, love freely, share Christ, show courage, use their platform to make a difference, and who will selflessly share their stories.
My cancer has been in remission for years, but what remains is the memory of that profound conversation with Andrea. The difference she made with one simple phone call.
Small things with great love.
Trina Pockett is a speaker and writer committed to equipping and encouraging women in leadership. Trina currently serves as a Divisional Field Director for Stonecroft Ministries. You can visit her website at www.trinapockett.com. You can also learn more about Stonecroft at www.stonecroft.org
You nailed it, Trina. Small things with great love change the world.
ReplyDeleteWhat an true point made in your article. This week will be more positive because of you sharing. Thank you. I pray that more of us share a little piece of us, to comfort and/or encourage another's life. "it's the little things"...smiles~ carol
ReplyDeleteTrina, thanks for your words of encouragement. I agree, "This world needs more women who aren't afraid to share their voices." Your post this morning gives me courage to keep taking my small things to the Lord and trust that He can use all things to make a difference in our world.
ReplyDeleteThank you Trina. Lovely post. And I too love that: small things with great love change the world. I'll share that too today!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your article I think of small women with big voices.
ReplyDeleteMore than ever before, it seems that professional communicators are in high demand. With the internet, broadcasting a message-- and if you have a little influence-- whoo! You're set!
From this we can feel encouraged to make the message of Christ a priority in our public and private (God willing) communication practices. So that, like these women mentioned, we too can cause a stir.
What a great reminder today. This year, my prayer is that my girls understand who they are in Christ and know how much He loves them, we love them, and they walk in that love with others. The Mother Theresa Quote is perfect for us as we start the school year this week.
ReplyDelete(stopped by from a tweet from Judy Douglass :)
I echo the comments shared on this post and I love the idea of collectively causing a stir in this world. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your encouraging words.
Trina, not only did her words impact you, but also that she took the time to give you her full, undivided attention. Just the act of stopping what you're doing to spend time focusing on someone else - it's more valuable than we realize and reaches further than we can imagine.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Trina. You've inspired a devo for me :)
Trina, you have truly lifted my spirits today! Excellent post! God is using you in a mighty way to reach women and girls across the nations.
ReplyDelete