“I’m running a marathon,” my friend Becca texted me. “You in?”

Becca is one of those friends who can talk you into anything, so I figured there was zero point in arguing. Without skipping a beat, I said yes.

Sort of.

“Can I walk it instead?”

At that point, due to foot pain, I believed that my running days were over. The best I could hope for was walking. So I signed up for a marathon, fully intending to walk the whole thing.

A funny thing happened during my months of training. The short story: Turns out, I could run. So I half-ran/half-walked my way to the finish line in June. And I loved it! Two weeks later, I signed up for another marathon – this time hoping to run most of it. (That marathon happens 13 days from today, so if you see me hobbling around like a penguin, you’ll know why!)

During my training, I thought so much about strength – where it comes from, and how it shows up in surprising ways. I didn’t expect to be reminded of that truth at my mom’s senior-living center.

It happened a few weeks ago, when I was visiting Mom and ran into a woman in her eighties who has some health struggles. As we caught up with one another’s lives, I mentioned that I was training for my second marathon.

For a long beat, she didn’t say a word. She just looked at me, steady and thoughtful. Finally, she leaned in and said these three words: “Women are strong.”

Her words, though simple, landed with weight in my soul.

She went on to tell me how women show their strength in countless ways — by raising families, keeping homes, working jobs, and juggling responsibilities, while somehow keeping it all moving forward.

She said it again, slower this time: “Women are strong.”

Then she added something that stayed with me. She said that when a woman gets older and sees how quickly time is moving, something shifts. She realizes there are still things she wants to do, things she once thought impossible. And she sets out to do them, surprising her younger self.

Her words made me think about my own life and the moments that demanded an inner strength I didn’t believe I had – for instance, raising children into adulthood in this wild world, and helping take care of Dad in his final months on earth. They made me think about this woman, too — how just 30 years ago, she was in the same season of life I’m in now, carrying her own burdens with exceptional courage. Her words reminded me that women can often do more than they first imagined – like how I could run when, at first, I thought I could only walk.

And isn’t that the story of women everywhere? We step into hard things, sometimes believing we can only manage the minimum, but we find that by God’s grace, we can do more than we ever knew.

Finally, her words reminded me of women in the Bible who drew their strength from God.

Deborah, who, with courage and faith, answered God’s call to deliver her people. 

Ruth, who chose loyalty and faithfulness, gleaning in the fields to provide for her mother-in-law.

Esther, who risked her life to save her people, declaring, “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16 NIV).

Mary, who said yes to God’s astonishing plan, carrying the Savior of the world.

Priscilla, who helped build up the early church.

Each of these women showed us that strength comes from trusting God, waiting on Him, and walking in obedience. That same truth is echoed in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

 “…but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 NIV

That’s a good verse for literal runners (“they will run and not grow weary”), but it’s also the best news for all of us, no matter what we’re up against.

You see, every season calls for a new kind of strength — whether it’s raising children, caring for parents, persevering through illness, or starting over in a new relationship.

That woman at Mom’s senior-living center was right. Women are strong.

And whatever season you’re in, the strength you need won’t come from sheer willpower, but from the God who renews us daily. So if you’re doubting yourself today, let me remind you of this truth: You are stronger than you think, because God Himself truly is your strength.

 

 

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