as i visited another church today for a conference, a woman came up to my friend and me. she asked if i, too, was in Seminary, and when i said, yes, she said that she was so delighted that we were there. with tears in her eyes, she mentioned that she was on the committee to advocate for women in office and to help out women at Seminary, and that 30 years ago she would never have dreamt of this happening, and even now women were on the board of trustees!!
as she left, my friend asked me how'd i felt about that brief conversation (after all, i'm not so excited about women in office nor excited to be seen as representing a cause).
and my reaction was that i did not feel misjudged or misrepresented, which kind of surprised me.
i had felt honoured by this conversation. honoured that i do get to be at Seminary studying the Bible. and honoured to feel like i'm part of the healing that God is doing in this woman's life - of dreams being answered that she had barely dared dream. through me, she could see God opening up doors for women's gifts to be used.
i, too, want very much for women's gifts to be used in the church. and i pray very much that the gifted women i know will be able to use these gifts to build up the church.
i guess i just wish that using women's gifts and the question of ordination were not so closely linked.
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