Created For Community And The Power Of Sisterhood

“At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country
of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in
her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.“
Luke 1:39–41

We Need Community

I tried seminary once before. And dropped out. I had three young kids at the time and was on staff with a church. And with each passing day, it all felt heavier and harder, but I kept going. I kept pressing. I kept trying. I wasn’t a quitter. Until I was.

I think the hardest part was admitting my need for support and community to keep going. I felt alone.

God did not design His daughters to be alone. In anything. Remember the first thing that God said wasn’t good? Being alone. He is called our Father, we are His daughters, and we belong to a family. And one of the biggest gifts of a family is sisterhood.

So when my friend Vivian reached out and asked, “Have you ever wanted to go to seminary but couldn’t figure out how to make it work?” I cried. Yes, Viv, I have. And it didn’t work. Vivian’s heart and dream was to create a cohort of women who would link arms and learn together in a seminary setting.

A Supportive Sisterhood

Because the pressures and expectations of being a woman are heavy enough. Heap on top a male-saturated seminary environment, and it can feel lonely being one of a few. She saw a supportive sisterhood as being one of the keys to success.

As soon as our eighteen-woman text thread started for Denver Seminary, I wondered how this might all go down. We are in the first Denver Seminary Women’s Leadership Cohort—we are all in leadership in some way as Bible teachers, authors, pastors, and speakers, and we are the guinea pigs for this program. This had so much potential to go down in flames.

We know women can be the greatest source of collaboration and strength and the greatest source of competition, backbiting, and gossip. Which would we be? I’m here to report we are a community that decided early on to celebrate one another, cheer on our ministries, and link arms and fight against our common enemy, not become one another’s enemy. We weep with those who weep (about deadlines or raising humans or hard marriages or ministry complexity) and rejoice with those who rejoice when we see the clear goodness and grace of God all over our lives.

When Daughters Link Arms

When daughters decide to link arms and fight together, they are unstoppable. When daughters vulnerably come with their weakness and are met with compassion, they are unbeatable. When daughters seek the wellness of one another, checking in on the tears they see in class—knowing a heartstring was struck with one of their sisters—they are unassailable.

Which is why God gave Mary to Elizabeth, and Elizabeth to Mary. They needed a sisterhood in the face of the greatest news ever reported. Because the greatest opposition was also at hand. These two women were tasked to carry and raise sons who would change the course of history. In the middle of being under the oppressive thumb of Roman rule.

One boy would call for repentance and pave the way for the other—One who would carry out redemption for the whole world. These women carried the weight of glory inside their bodies. And God gave them a friend, a sister, in this tall task. What a compassionate, self-giving God we have!

We need each other, swords in hand, ready to defend one another, to sing over one another, to bless and celebrate and fight for one another.

In His Word

Read Luke 1:42-58. Do you notice how Mary and Elizabeth became a community for each other? Take note of Mary’s song. What stands out to you?

In Your Life

Do you have a community of people around you that you can count on? How can you be that community for someone else today?

We Recommend

We recommend the book Your Name Is Daughter: What the Unsung Women of the Bible Teach Us about Our Worth by Amy Seiffert. We love how Amy empowers us to stand firm in our dignity as a Daughter of the King, exchanging fear and doubt for confidence and faith.

Let’s Connect

Amy Seiffert is a popular author, speaker, and YouVersion Bible teacher. Cohost of The Big Top podcast with Lori Brittenham, she regularly appears on other media. She has spoken at numerous churches, conferences, retreats, and events, including Propel Women, Soma City Church, Redemption Chapel, Ventura Missionary Church, and at various CRU ministry events. Amy and her husband live with their three kids in Bowling Green, Ohio. Learn more at AmySeiffert.com.