As I have pondered this effort and the small contribution I am able to make to other women, striving to live for Christ all over the world, the simplicity, difficulty and universality of our discipleship has occurred to me repeatedly. I am certainly no paragon of Christian virtue, but that is the beauty of the grace of God. If my virtue was the standard, I, with the whole of humanity, would be doomed. So, I have thrown myself upon the mercy of God and accepted the challenge to put on the armor discussed in Ephesians 6:10-20 to fight in his army.

I’ve found God and believe that in Jesus is my hope of salvation. I want to live my life in his service and to his glory. But do I have what it takes to be a life-long disciple and a soldier of Christ? I see my own ignorance and weakness, the obstacles in front of me and my regretful past, and I wonder if I can do it. At some point in our lives, I think we’ve all asked this question and doubted our ability to remain loyal and be brave. When I look at myself and my service, too often it’s not a valiant soldier that I see.