Dear Woman: Women Sharing Stories, Experiences, and Inspiring Each Other Through God's Word

By Manuela Obas and Taiese L. Nevels

A popular adage "you see my glory, but don't know my story" is the subliminal theme in each of these Dear Woman's narratives as women from all walks of life share their experiences on self-esteem, trust, betrayal, strength, pain, grief, rejection, education disparity, relationships and just the crazy. All while using inspiration from Go

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Fights Within, LLC
• Release date: Sep 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9780578986388

Book preview

acknowledgments

As women of God, we’d first like to give thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For without Him, this project would not exist. This project was truly a labor of love and a great collaboration between truly phenomenal women. We are thankful for all the hard work, transparency, and faithfulness each woman has put forth and hope their testimonies speak to you in some way.

We’d like to also acknowledge our families, friends, and significant others in allowing us the space to tell our authentic stories. We’d like to thank our editors and publishing team for all their hard work and diligent dedication to bringing this project to a beautiful completion.

Finally, we again thank the Lord Jesus Christ for the vision he placed inside of Manuela and her obedience in trusting the call God has placed on her life. We hope this book blesses all who read it.

INTRODUCTION

Dear Women:

As you take the journey of fellow women who have experienced the same triumphs and pains that you may have, rest assured that you will also unpack solutions and rationalizations that will lend itself in helping you on your own journey to celebration, strength, and healing.

While we are amid a pandemic that has forever changed our lives making us more aware of taking care of our health, we are also empathizing and finding ourselves in the #MeToo movement -- albeit the historical mistreatment of Black women in slavery -- by uniting all women. The search for quality relationships, education, and careers, and embracing our multidimensional hair is tantamount coupled with our need as Black women to canoe ourselves in finding our voice in this world.

Compounding all these nuances, many of us have children to still parent and educate, partners to partner with, a household to maintain, jobs to do, and in some cases jobs to search for. We are consistently reminded that life is fragile, and our world is changing daily given what is on the news and the impact on our personal lives.

Perhaps we should be grateful for the little things that have been bestowed upon us: we wake up another day to fight a good fight, we get to revisit family and friends, to change careers, go back to school and be an inspiration to others even when we least think we are doing so. We get to choose what happens from here because hopefully, we realize life is the greatest gift God has given us, and so we must make use of what we’ve got.

Packed in this compilation are stories that pushed the boundaries in allowing us women to voice our life experiences despite our tribulations to resurrect us to a place of self-worth, meaning and God-fearing beings. So Dear Women, dare to be different, to be bold; dare to change your stars and put yourself on the path that some of us dare not go, but because God is with you, who shall be against you? In Deuteronomy 31:6 it says: Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

As you read this book, may it nourish your mind, restore your soul, make you laugh, cry, and wait for the joy it will bring in giving you lessons about life.

Dear Woman, Arise!

By Manuela Obas

Dear Woman, Arise!

By Manuela Obas

When I first started this journey of living my life on purpose with God at the forefront, I thought everyone would be happy for me. Manuela found her purpose! I was so excited that I knew, finally, why I was here on earth, and I was bursting at the seams eager to do something with the gifts, talents, and skills God has given me and allowed me to learn. But my expectations were wrong. I did not have a band of cheerleaders rooting for me. Few people rejoiced, and many did not even care. I soon discovered that not everyone will celebrate you when you are doing great things and fulfilling the assignments God has uniquely designed just for you.

In the world, we live in we are constantly bombarded with so many images of the woman. We are told what to wear, how to talk, what size to be, how to think, and so many other things. As we delve deeper and understand God's love and purpose for us, we get a better understanding of who we are as a woman. We are powerful, dependable, teachable, hardworking, amazing, loving, strong, talented, dedicated, caregivers, and so many more attributes.

For a long time, I didn't know who I was. I allowed society and titles to define my womanhood. It wasn't until I started working out with a life coach Rickey Gatewood, and in one of our sessions, he asked me who I was, and I answered him with my titles, and he said no Manuela, who are you without the titles?

I can tell you that day forever changed my life. I had no idea God was birthing something new in me: The Dear Women Organization, and the life coaching sessions were preparing for what God had in store for me. I couldn't help other women without answering the call God has for me, and I had to heal and allow God to transform my life.

Dear Woman, do you know who you are? Do you know God's purposeful plan and assignment He has for your life? Have you tapped into the greatness inside of you? The Bible says, Your gift will make room for you (Proverbs 18:16). God has designed you for a specific purpose only You can fulfill. You are uniquely different from other women, so much so God has taken the time to count the hair on your head because you are valuable to Him.

I wasn't always this confident and self-assured…

A 19-year-old teenage girl was in service in Brooklyn NY, where she had gone with other choir members to sing. While in that meeting, she heard God clearly say to her that He wants her to preach. The voice was so clear and loud that even though she tried battling it, she knew this was no human voice. And then she decided to answer the call. She pressed her way through the crowd, lifting her hands and heart, forgetting her struggles, pains, and negative experiences momentarily surrendered to God and accepted the call. The Christ-like journey doesn't end with an altar call. It is the beginning of a new journey with Christ. It's the first step to ensuring a beautiful eternity.

The brief conversion experience above was my very experience. I was that 19-year-old teenager who received the clear call of God in that beautiful service. But again, I was a 19-year-old teen who was struggling with dampened self-esteem, and self-worth. I was almost lost in the world. Before my conversion, I had encountered several events that made me feel I didn't belong here. It all felt different – I was nobody at the time. I was overlooked, ignored, verbally abused, and harshly treated by those I looked up to. Yet, deep inside, I always felt there was something unique about me, but I couldn't place it. God had to prune and mold me into the woman I am today. I had to learn to affirm myself, stop the negative talk, and learn to love my flaws and all. I couldn't tap into the greatness inside of me until I faced my issues. I couldn't love people without learning to love myself first. Moreover, I learned that while self-affirmations are important, but God's words of affirmation breathe life into your soul and spirit.

Manuela Obas has become the woman she is today because, at some point in my life, I surrendered totally to God. You see, accomplishing God's purpose for your life is not determined by titles, your bank account, or your skills and abilities. It is all about the Lord working in you. It was no longer my will but the will of the Father. At that moment, I found the strength to believe in myself and in what God is doing and will do through me. I started making very strong affirmations that see me through the not-so-pleasant circumstances of life.

Understanding the power of self-affirmation is very much needed in this present time when the world