Significance of Christ for women

SUBANG JAYA: The recent Women’s Retreat organised by the Servants of Yahweh Catholic Covenant Community at the Church of St Thomas More on July 21 upheld a simple retreat theme this year, My Significance IS Christ. Although simple, this theme is, in fact, imperative to all women as it touches the very core of a woman’s heart, that is, their significance.

After all, the most common question googled by people in the world today is “Who am I? What is my significance?” This retreat played a key role in addressing this matter.

The retreat consisted of three sessions tailor-made to the needs of women. The first session, led by Ann Felix, was themed, Is beauty only skin deep?! This aptly themed session addressed a key factor plaguing women in the world today, namely, their sense of identity. In today’s world, women are often torn between two concepts, first: the licentious sense of beauty portrayed by the media (though not always) and second: the reality of true resounding beauty shown by the Lord. With the constant conflicting messages that keep coming our way, one’s sense of identity can become marred. Ann Felix gave examples of three celebrities who based their identity upon success, fame and outward beauty, which led to depression and eventually a tragic end. She stressed on building a true sense of identity in Christ.

The second session adopted a different concept whereby the married women and single ladies had separate breakout sessions. The session, themed The Best of Me is Yet to Come, was led by Charlotte Peter for the singles, and Carol Curzon for the married women. This session touched on the RENEWED sense of identity of the single women who, through Charlotte’s sharing, identified themselves with the Bible passage, The Woman at the Well. Charlotte touched on — a before, during and after encounter with Christ, where God renewed that woman’s identity in Him.

Carol led the married women through a practical yet reflective group discussion, identifying how they viewed themselves currently and what identity the Lord truly wants them to adopt. The married women made posters of their sharing within their small groups and later courageously shared their convictions.

The more we seek, with our own efforts, the less we find ourselves. We lose our identity and, eventually, our significance.

If the word ‘Significance’ truly means an event or person who has made a lasting impact in one’s life, then the question to be asked is “How do we measure our significance?”

The third session, led by Michele Peter, took the theme of the retreat, My Significance IS Christ. This session first touched on three forms of worldly expectations that women are often faced with: the expectations of the media, expectations of family and the expectations of ourselves. The women were later led through one truth, which is, knowing that “You are Incredibly Significant.” Michele led them through three passages in Luke Chapter 15 which spoke about God’s joy of our return to Him, knowing that our significance is indeed in Him.

The ministering session was led by Barbara Neoh and Constance Noronha. The session first began with a skit named I Surrender. This skit depicted the issues faced by women in their homes today and how, in surrendering everything to the Lord, they find their significance. As a participant, Brigitte Januarius,31, put it, “In a time when I needed clarity and assurance, I was reminded of who I am.” The ministering session was then followed by a beautiful dance named “Resurrection Power,” by Carol D’Cruz and Charlotte Peter. In a testimony, one participant spoke about how the dance ministered to her in her time of need.

Colours are a wonderful way of representing true feminity. The ministering session therefore, took a very different spin this year. During the healing session, the participants walked underneath five different colours of cloth, each colour representing something significant. The first colour black depicted Sin and the final colour, purple, depicted the Royal Significance in Christ. A participant, Angelicia Anthony, 27, spoke of this renewed significance testifying that, “somehow God was asking me to take a breather and reassuring me that He loves me beyond all measure.” God’s love surpasses all understanding. The women’s retreat this year was able to touch the hearts of women in ways unimaginable.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online