I am not a morning person. Getting up early is hard for me to do. That's why I was impressed by the commitment of a group of women in California who have been getting out of bed at 5:00 every morning for the past month to talk on the phone.
But this isn't just any phone call. These women have been doing the 30-Day Husband Encouragement Challenge. They start off their day by joining a conference call with about eight participants from various parts of the state. They let me listen in on their last day of the challenge to hear how their marriages and lives have been affected.
LaTonya Carr is the lady who got the call going. LaTonya is divorced, but she said if she had done the challenge beforehand (when someone gave it to her) that wouldn't have happened. She got the challenge out again a few months ago and starting doing it, focusing on her ex-husband, and just felt like this was something she needed to do in a group.
Not all of the women know each other—LaTonya is the common link. But they've joined in to encourage one another to keep at it. They kick things off by reading Psalm 51, then have an opening prayer, read the challenge for the day, and discuss it.
They all agree that things have changed over the past 30 days. LaTonya reports that conversations with her ex-husband are much more peaceful. Andrea shared that she started sending her husband text messages everyday with encouraging words. "It's helped him on his job, and he brings that home with him." Even Pam's boss noticed a change in her life—he commented that she was smiling more and seemed happier. And he wanted to know what had made the difference.
But they also said having the daily phone call was a key part of helping them stay consistent.
"Knowing we were on the call makes me do the challenge and continue to do it," LaTonya said. "It inspires me, hearing what other people said."
Dee also appreciates the accountability. Doing the challenge with her sisters has made her stick to it, she said. "It motivates me to do better and be better."
And Rochelle has appreciated the encouragement from women that she doesn't know very well. "They're not going to let you hang up the phone feeling the same way," she said. "After the call, you feel like you're walking on pillows all day."
So now that the challenge is over, will this group stop talking? No, way! They've already started on the 30-Day True Woman Makeover and have plans for something to do the month after that as well.
Sounds like these ladies are living out Hebrews 10:24—"And let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds." How about you? Is there a way you can encourage someone to live as a true woman and make her feel like she's "walking on pillows"?
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