Finding Strength "She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms." - Proverbs 31:17 Being a woman can be complex. Keeping the demanding roles of wife, mother, worker or/and business owner, in perspective can indeed be tasking. Not to mention the numerous spiritual and social engagements that equally require our time. Burning out, therefore, is as real as it gets for many women. In fact, some take periodic vacations, get back, and lapse into bouts of stress in no time. Tension and anxiety are also salient factors that lead to stress. Unmet expectations, getting or changing a job, marrying and settling down, having children, transiting from paid employment to running your own business; these factors and more conspire to sap our spiritual, emotional and physical strength, leaving us with not enough energy to deal with our varied assignments. According to expert observation from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, "as women progress through life's stages, hormonal balance associated with premenstrual, post-partum and menopausal changes can affect chemical vulnerability to stress and depression." The question is, how can we sustain strength in the face of complexity? How do we ensure, like our opening scripture states, that our loins are girded with strength, and our arms are strengthened? A number of suggestions come in handy: Revaluate your goals and priorities and set boundaries based on them. You don't have to do everything. Learn to say no to certain demands on your on your time and energy. Realise, also, that you are not indispensable. If you are not around someone else can and will do what needs to get done. Eat well, sleep well, get good exercise and do something different. Relax and take a break. Go on boat cruise, fishing. The world will not end because you are not working. For some, switch off your phone and just walk away for some time. You will surely return a better person. You will find activities, such as the following, relaxing: Taking baths/swimming Reading Doing breathing exercises Receiving back rubs/massages Listening to relaxation tapes Writing in a journal Meeting with a friend Napping Walking Dancing Engaging in spiritual reflection Stretching Listening to music And if perhaps the feelings of aloneness and depression are getting too difficult to manage or handle, then seek professional help from a qualified counsellor. More critical, however, is the importance of placing God right in the middle of all our endeavours. The Bible says those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31). We can preserve strength by refusing to allow the anxieties of life get the better of us. Remember, the Bible states, "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong...." (Eccl 9:11) Now, waiting on the Lord does not mean resigning from everything else in life and waiting listlessly for God to come straighten out our lives for us. But it means sustaining regular fellowship with the Spirit in worship, study and meditation on the Word and obedience to God. His Presence will bring times of refreshing your way (Acts 3:19). This is Our Month of Divine Visitation (Luke 1:37, 1 Samuel 1:19-20). The Lord will satisfy you with good things. His visitation will bring direction and fulfilment of pending desires, in Jesus' name. I see you walking in renewed strength, mounting up with wings like eagles and soaring. I look forward to reading your testimonies as they roll in. If you require counselling or want us to prayerfully agree with you, do send me a mail at pastortaiwo@tfolc.org. I encourage you to visit our websites; www.discoveryforwomen.net, for more articles and resources.

God bless you. Pastor Taiwo Odukoya