For the Girl: A Guest Post

Earlier this month I started a company, Ezer + Co. She’s been growing inside of me, perhaps for my entire life, but she was just born. She is full of vision but she will come to life through the contributions from the strong warriors among us. This post is for all the girls … the girls like me, like those you work with, parent, come from, and are friends with. Perhaps you are this girl.

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For the Girl

by April Wahl

For the girl that longs for something more, that knows this isn’t the end of the story.

For the girl that dreams of the ocean, but wakes up on the plains.

For the girl that wants to make waves in the world, but fear of the ocean keeps her from splashing.

For the girl who wants, who dreams, who longs, who desires…I write for you.

For the little girl that I was, that’s for whom I write.

For the girl at the pier.

For the girl in the pew.

For girls everywhere…I write for you.

I want to tell your stories. I want to know your stories.

For the girl that sat around a table a few nights ago and felt the light shine in her cracked soul.

For the girl that smiled a true smile, that wasn't trying to hide any pain.

For the girl that was present, that wanted to savor every moment.

For the girl that woke up and could finally breathe.

For the girl that didn't know sadness as she pulled herself out of bed.

For the girl that read another's words that jumped off the page and into her very own soul, because she knew the thoughts and the feelings well.

For the girl that woke up and went along her way, knowing who she was.

For the girl that decided today she was going to start living as herself, and not a shell of herself.

For the girl that lives inside the pages of my journals…

For the girl that lives inside of me…

For the girl that's finally deciding today is the day, now is the time...

I'm writing for you.

For us. For the women who are paving the way, who are joining hands with sisters and brothers to let the Kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven. The little girls are waiting, watching, and wondering.

May we live into the calling that has been set before us. May we not shrink back. May we live into the full abundance that Jesus came to live and die for, so that others may know the freedom found only in Him.

For the girls that don’t have a voice.

For the girls trying to find a voice.

For the girls that have found their voice.

You are loved. You belong. You matter. You are worth it.

In the Company of Women

When was the last time you were in the company of other strong women?

Not strong because they cross-fit all day. Not strong because their personality fills a room. Not strong like they bulldoze someone over. I mean, warriors who were fully alive in their own skin, their own bodies, their God-given gifts and passions. While it may have felt a little intimidating (because sometimes when someone is fully alive, you see where you’re asleep), I bet it also ignited some energy within you.

It prompted you to engage differently with your life.

It raised questions about how you want to move forward.

It called out something in you that you know needs to be reclaimed and released.

It invited your voice toward more confident, clarity, and courage.

It softened your insecurities and shadow self.

Being in the company of other strong women who are awake, awakened something within you, too.

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For the last year I’ve been praying, dreaming, planning, and building a vision I can no longer ignore. And this vision is about ready to be birthed into the world.

You’re invited. You’re needed.

Stay tuned. The best is yet to come… + it’s coming SOON!!!!!

Representation Matters

I kicked off this year reading the memoir of our former First Lady, Michelle Obama. It was 2018’s #1 seller for good reason.

There is a lot that I adored about this book (I couldn’t put it down), but perhaps the most significant is this:

Representation Matters.

Eight years ago today Brian and I brought our Ethiopian son and daughter home. They landed on U.S. soil and they had a black President and First Lady. For the first time in U.S history there was a family occupying the White House, leading the Free World, that wasn’t white. Whatever your politics (perhaps especially because of your politics!), this matters. Over the next 6 years my son and daughter were able to see themselves in places of influence and with powerful voices. Having a black First Family formed their mindset of what’s normal. It gave them a model of what’s possible. It cast vision.

As a female leader, I’ve worked hard these last few years to learn from women and people of color. My 2018 Books I Loved list were predominantly by women and/or people of color. Their voices matter and I learn so much about my own Imago Dei and the character/nature of God through voices on the fringe. I can honestly say that I’ve learned more about God and myself from those not like me than anything else. Voices from the fringe have become beautiful, sacred teachers in my life.

This past weekend I finished Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming. I hated it to end, but as I closed the final chapter my daughter came out to the couch where I was sitting. She asked if I was already finished reading it (it’s over 400 pages!). Shocked at my amazing speed reading skills, she plopped down next to me and started flipping through the pages. She spent probably at least 15-20 minutes pouring over the pictures in the center, asking all the questions, and finally asking if she could read the book. She was drawn to the book because of what she saw, and it looked like her.

Yes, we fill our kids’ library with stories about people of color, but there’s something unique about a present day heroine showing you what’s possible. I saw it in Addise’s eyes as her 8 year old self looked at our former First Lady’s giant book. What if? What’s possible. Can I be like her?

Representation matters for my daughter, but it also matters to you. It matters that you see other women who’ve done what you want to do. It matters that you can see a way forward, even if it seems like there are glass ceilings and barriers to hurdle. It matters to know that you can do it AND keep your soul it tact. It matters to believe that you can fulfill your calling as a leader AND as a wife or mother. Representation matters for our sons and husbands. It matters so a more complete picture of the Imago Dei is expressed in every organization, church, and business.

Representation matters so you know you’re not alone.

I’m insanely committed to empowering women and people of color in leadership. If I didn’t have women investing into me, I wouldn’t be where I am today. And because I spent 10 years as an ethnic minority in a local church AND I have a daughter of color, this layer is even more important to me. When our world is equally lead by women, my work will stop. Until then, I’m here.

That’s why I’m throwing myself even deeper into coaching, training, and equipping women. This year, you may need a coach and some accountability to get from here to there. If so, let’s connect. Join a coaching group (one for women starting soon) or commit yourself to 1on1 Coaching.

You matter.