By: Jenni Walker and Beth Doohan 

“And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  ~Matthew 28:20

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations…” ~Matthew 28:18–19

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We have reflected on the history of Wholehearted Woman Ministries, and shared stories from several heroes of the faith who incline their hearts after God’s Word, grow in their knowledge of God, and delight to do His will. Now, we look forward to the impact a Wholehearted Woman has as she walks out these truths. She is courageously on-mission for God, but what does this look like practically? Is there certain criteria for being “on-mission”? 

Heart of Faithfulness

One of the most intimate passages of the Bible is found in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” What joy to be so close to our Lord! No matter what season of life you are in right now, God is calling you to yield yourself to Him to fulfill His calling. When we surrender our hearts and lives completely to the Lord, inclining our hearts toward His Word and growing in knowledge of Him, He will do a work that is ongoing during our time here on earth. He will search our hearts for us, He will lead and guide us in His ways, and He will produce a holy joy in doing His will!

Often, we do not associate joy with the many tasks required of us each day. The everyday can quickly become draining or mundane. Certain seasons of life might lose their sparkle, and we can easily forget that God specifically and intentionally has called us to serve Him and others in that season. How can you “delight to do God’s will” today in some of these following areas?

Marriage…

Singleness…

Raising children…

Trying to conceive…

Being an employee of integrity…

Inviting a coworker to a special church service…

Hosting a game night for those in need of community…

Local volunteerism…

Taking care of an elderly relative…

Going on a mission trip…

Housework, housework, housework…

Sacrificial giving of your time or money…

Investing in a particular friendship…

Turning off the television to play outside with the kids…

Putting your phone away to make conversation with a stranger in the grocery aisle…

Giving your husband a shoulder rub…

Listening rather than defending…

Choosing contentment rather than comparison…

Seeking the Lord daily in prayer and His Word… (Remember Ruth Graham’s example of taking time wherever she could find it! No perfection is needed; God just wants your heart!)

As women, this list could fill up multiple pages for each one of us. Yet, remember that in all that you do, God wants your whole heart. No matter what God is calling you to in your current season of life, and no matter how you are feeling at this very moment, choose to pray like the Psalmist, “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart…You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased.” (Psalm 40:8; 4:7)

True Joy

Our culture so often associates the concept of joy with immediate gratification or the fulfillment of our personal preferences. Yet, our Lord set a different example for us. Paul writes in Philippians 2, “Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:2-5, 13, NKJV)

Back to the everyday tasks, our lives can at any point feel a bit uneventful or just plain “normal.” But a life lived in wholehearted, “reckless abandon” for the Lord is always one well-lived because it is truly full of God’s supernatural energy and strength for His purposes.

God may call you to smuggle Bibles into hostile nations one day. Perhaps He has an unreached people group or hostile nation full of persecution He plans to reach through you. Maybe His call for you is community development in an unstable area (locally or internationally) that has desperate immediate needs that are also open doors to the Gospel. For many of us, our calling is being faithful in everyday life through active involvement in our local churches, daily and eternal investment in the lives of our family members, and connection in our communities. How does God desire to use you?

Be a Wholehearted Woman

As we conclude this this series, we invite you to revisit the cozy condo living room in Tulsa, Oklahoma, brimming with conversation and beautiful women of God with hearts desiring to know Him deeper and to make Him known to others. The common link between you, them, Corrie Ten Boom, Ruth Bell Graham, Elisabeth Elliot, and so many other women is that of a fully surrendered heart to the lordship of Christ. Knowing Him and being courageously on-mission for His purposes. Begin today by inclining your heart toward the Word of God, intentionally growing in your knowledge of Him and delighting to do His will with a joyful and grateful heart. 

What an honor to be daughters of the King who “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons [and daughters!] by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4-6, NKJV) May we each become Wholehearted Woman that God has called us to be. 

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