Nailed: Snapshots of Strength

Whether we admit it or not, many of us still hold expectations of women reminiscent of the 1800s: be quiet, be subservient, have no opinions of your own. But there is one woman in the Bible who was a trailblazer. A woman who even in the Old Testament personified Paul's declaration that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). Her name was Jael.

You can read her story in Judges 4. Her husband, Heber, was friends with Israel's enemy, Jabin, the king of Canaan. But that didn't keep Jael from standing up for what was right, for standing up for God's people. When Sisera, Jabin's general, came to seek asylum at her tent, Jael girded her loins with the strength of a man, risked the wrath of her husband and the king of the Canaanites, and, putting a nail to his head, killed Sisera. What a story. What a woman.

And yet ... is she talked about later in the Good Book? No. Is she preached about like other great men and woman of God in the Bible? Rarely. Yet her story is one of strength and integrity. What do I take away from this? That a woman can have as much strength in God as any man. That a single woman can make a world of difference, just as Jael saved the day for the Israelites on that day of battle. That a woman (or man) does not have to have their name up in lights on a marquee to be found in the annals of greatness in God's history book. And, if we look, we can find other Jaels around us today that personify strength, Jaels who through their examples encourage us to do likewise. Jaels like Hortencia.

When I had the privilege of going to work with Auntie Trinie on the Christian magazine she edited, Voz en el desierto, she introduced me to a world of colorful characters. And many that I didn't get to meet, she told me about. One of them was the never-to-be-forgotten Hortencia.

Auntie met the vibrant Presby (short for Presbyterian) through her decades-long link with that denomination. Although herself of the full gospel persuasion, Presbyterian friends who rubbed elbows with Auntie were so impressed by her solid values and her down-to-earth way of communicating God's truths, that she was often asked to lead Presbyterian study groups for women. This led to her friendship with the infamous Hortencia, a red-blooded chilanga (Mexican slang for someone from Mexico City).

By the time Auntie met her, Hortencia was already middle aged, unmarried, and labeled an old maid. But she didn't let that take anything away from her passion for Jesus. Nothing spotlights it like the story of her friend Martha.

To be sure, I don't remember the friend's real name, but for the sake of calling her something, I'll stick with Martha. Anyway, "Martha" was sharing a taxi with Hortencia on the way home from a church function when Martha invited Hortencia to stop and see her home. Having the time to do so, Hortencia acquiesced. So the taxi driver dropped both ladies off, and the pair entered Martha's home.

Martha proudly showed Hortencia into the living area. Hortencia's face took on a mottled appearance but she refrained from saying anything until they toured the bedroom. There, as in the parlor, was a niche devoted to a saint.

Hortencia started praying. Aloud. "Lord, thank You for this beautiful home you've given Martha. But please, Lord, forgive her for not loving You with her whole heart."

Martha blanched. "Hortencia, don't say such a thing!"

Hortencia shook her friend's beseeching hand off her arm and continued talking to the Lord, as we say in Spanish, a voz en cuello--loudly! "Lord, You say that we should not have any other gods before You, and Martha professes to love You, but just look at what she has here in her home! Idols! She doesn't put into practice what she says with her mouth--she doesn't really put You first, Lord!"

Martha began sweating bullets. "Please, Hortencia, don't tell the Lord that! What will He think!"

Hortencia opened her eyes to spear her friend with daggers.

"What will He think??? What will He think???? Why, you silly goose, He has eyes! Don't you think He's already seen these idols you have in your home?"

"Please, Hortencia, don't tell Him that! Tell Him I'm sorry. I do love Him! I do! I'll ... I'll get rid of them!"

By the time Auntie got to this point in her narrative, we'd be doubled over laughing at Hortencia's bossiness and bold audacity. The way in which she expressed her spiritual insight might have been unorthodox, but it worked for her. It was an outcrop of the essence of all that made her "Hortencia".

Mixed in with our laughter was a healthy dose of admiration. How many would have the intestinal fortitude to call out a friend like this? Even though Proverbs 27:17 says, "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend," most of us find that a hard row to hoe. But Hortencia? Her strong personality lent itself to being used by God in this way and underscores the truth that real friendship is hallmarked by transparency and honesty. I can still hear Horencia's story calling out to us: What are the strengths God has given you? Are you grabbing the the bull by the horns and walking in those strengths, come what may?

There was another Hortencia story that Auntie, master raconteur that she was, told and retold many times. Even then, but two generations ago, women were expected to marry, their lives to be solely a service to their mate and little else. But not Hortencia. In the face of pervading societal (even in Christian communities) expectations, she boldly took the road less traveled, a road requiring a very special strength. And, wouldn't you know it? This story, too, involved a taxi.

As Hortencia's driver whisked her through the Mexico City streets, he, unlike most taxi drivers, tried to start up a conversation with her.

"Are you married?" he asked. Hortensia raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am," she answered. Hortensia didn't think it wise to tell a man she didn't know that she was going home to a house without a man present, and the Bible does say that we, God's children, are part of the bride of Christ, so technically she wasn't lying.

The nosy driver couldn't seem to help himself. Looking at her through the rear view mirror he asked, "And what kind of a husband is he to you? Is he kind and generous?"

Hortensia smiled. "You better believe it! He is the best husband of all! In fact, anything I want He gives me!"

The driver seemed taken aback by this--machismo was more the order of the day. As he made appreciate noises at such an unexpected revelation, Hortensia basked in the reality that her Heavenly Husband loved her far better than any earthly husband could ever love.

I think Auntie had an affinity for this story because she had been called by God (with an audible voice, no less!) to remain single in His service. I think it blessed her to consider how her wonderful Heavenly Husband outshone any earthly one she might have had.

What I took away from this story was the realization that no earthly mate could ever compare to our Heavenly One, that fullness of joy comes from a viable relationship with Jesus, not from a relationship with anyone here on earth. No relationship--be it with spouse or friend--can in itself bring completeness or fullness of joy, for every single human, no matter how sweet or kind, will always disappoint at some point in time. No human can ever be the fulfillment of joy. Only Jesus. "For in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

And these treasures, these snapshots of a woman whose life was laced with strength derived from her love for Jesus, keep resonating. I want to love Jesus and be so full of Him that, Hortencia-like, I will speak up for Him to my friends. I want to love Jesus so much that His love overflows into every area of my life.

I pray that your life also be filled with Hortencia-like Heavenly boldness for Jesus, that you may walk in the strengths which He has bestowed on you, and that the joy that comes from an enduring relationship with our perfect Heavenly Bridegroom be yours.

"The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21).

"These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John15:11).