Last year, I ordered my first vanity license plate.
You might be rolling your eyes at me since “vanity” is the key word, but when I found out that “WORD GRL” was still available, I couldn’t resist. The personalized plate on the back of my car perfectly describes both my passions and my personality as a word girl.
Scripture is my dearest treasure, and I love to study God’s Word.
I’m a speaker and a writer, so words are my vocation.
Last but not least, I have a lot of words to share. Just ask my friends and family. I’m rarely left speechless, and I consider a story — either mine or yours — one of life’s greatest pleasures.
A true story of one woman in the Bible leaves me sure Jesus loves words, too, and He values a woman’s words.
For most of Mary Magdalene’s story, only her activities are recorded. There’s not a single quote from her at the beginning of her story in Scripture, but her actions introduce her thoroughly. We get a clear picture of a woman who was one of Jesus’ closest and most devoted friends.
Jesus rescued her from the destructive grip of seven demons, and afterwards she never left His side. Instead of going back to life as normal, Mary Magdalene traveled with Jesus and the disciples. She also supported Him with her resources. (Luke 8:1-3) With a tenacity and courage not shown by many of Jesus’ followers, Mary stayed with Him at the cross, (Matthew 27:55-56) helped bury Him (Matthew 27:61) and hurried back to the grave as soon as the Sabbath rest was over. (John 20:1)
It was Mary who arrived at Jesus’ empty tomb first, but she ran back to tell Peter and John, who came to investigate. After they had left, not understanding all that was happening, Mary had the first recorded conversation with the risen Christ.
Mary, a faithful woman and friend, was given the honor of seeing our resurrected Jesus first. It wasn’t an accident either! Peter and John had been at the tomb, so it wasn’t just because she happened to be there first. Jesus purposefully chose Mary for an important assignment.
In John 20:17, Jesus said, “… Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (NIV).
So Mary went to share the news, bursting forth with these words that held the weight of eternity: “… I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18a). She testified of Jesus’ resurrection and all that He had told her.
Jesus chose her to see His resurrected body first and to go and tell others. He entrusted women with His message, and just like Mary Magdalene, we can share His glorious life with the confidence of His weighty commission.
Although words can be one of a woman’s greatest gifts, they’ve led to some of our saddest downfalls, too. Too often, our words have been invested in death — criticism, gossip, half-truths and negativity.
Being a “word girl” is part of a woman’s calling, but they aren’t just any words with which we’ve been entrusted. We’ve been given Jesus’ incomparable words of life to share. Let’s emulate Mary Magdalene, developing tender hearts, cultivating lives of devoted action, and generating words that let others know that we have seen the Lord.
Lord, thank You for valuing the words of women. Above all, I desire to share words with weight, sharing Your life and glory with everyone I meet. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
