Recently I was part of the speaker team for the HEART OF A WARRIOR men's weekend held at the Young Life camp in Goshen, Va. I have attended 10 of the past 11 years and seen the event expand tenfold. From a fledgling band of 30 brothers to now over 300 men; including fathers bringing sons as well as sons bringing fathers. It is the first event I put into my calendar each year because it has become that important to me and my faith journey.
We added some nuances to the Saturday night session about the heart of a woman, and loving a woman well. Robin Thompson gave an hour talk that brought a standing ovation from the men and was singularly the most profound, succinct, accurate and helpful expression and explanation of the core desires of woman’s heart that I have ever heard. Many of us listening were moved to tears.
And then, Michael Thompson ended our panel discussion with a short poem that hit close to my heart, and so I want to share it with you.
When God created woman, he was working late on the 6th day….
And an angel came by and asked "Why spend so much time on her?"
The Lord answered ‘Have you seen all the specifications I have to meet to shape her? She must function in all kinds of situations. She must be able to embrace several kids at the same time; have a hug that can heal anything from a skinned knee to a broken heart; and she must do all this with only two hands. She often has to care for herself when sick and has to work 18 hour days."
The angel was impressed… "just two hands?... impossible! Is this the standard model?" And the angel moved closer and touched the woman, "but you have made her so soft, Lord?"
"Yes, she is soft" said the Lord, "but I have made here strong as well. You can’t imagine what she can endure and overcome."
The angel asked, "Can she think?"
The Lord responded, "Not only can she think, she can reason and negotiate."
The angel touched her cheeks… "Lord, it seems this creation is leaking! You have put too many burdens on her!”
"She is not leaking…. Those are tears" the Lord corrected the angel.
"What are those for?" the angel asked.
The Lord said "Those are her way of expressing her grief, her doubts, her love, her loneliness, here suffering and her pride."
That made a big impression on the angel who remarked "Lord, you are a genius. You thought of everything. A woman is a marvelous creation."
The Lord smiled, “Indeed she is. She has strength that amazes a man. She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens. She holds happiness, love, and opinions. She smiles when she feels like screaming; she sings when she feels like crying; cries when happy and laughs when afraid. She fights fiercely for what she believes in. Her love is unconditional. Her heart is broken when a next of kin or a friend dies, but she finds strength to get on with life."
The angel said, "So she is a perfect being?”
The Lord replied, "No. she has just one drawback….
You see, she often forgets what she is worth."
I wasn’t the only man in tears when Michael finished reading. I have a woman that meets that description in my wife Kate, and I see it in my oldest daughters Shelby and Sarah. Thank you HEART OF A WARRIOR weekend for reminding me of one of my life's greatest blessings; my marriage and my wife.
This Mother's Day, as I reflect, I'm thankful for all of the mothers in my life including my mom Dolores, my mother in law Liz, and my wife and mother of my children, Kate. I pray that all of us would take a moment to reflect on the women in our life and how they really have all the qualities that the angel was so curious about. Every so often, we all need to stop and recognize them instead of take them for granted.
Happy Mother's Day.
Amen and amen.