"The Women In My Life"
by Reverend A. LaMar Torrence, Pastor of Cross of Life Lutheran Church
Exodus 1:15-2:10
“What makes you so strong?” is the title of a book written by Jeremiah Wright. It is the question posed to the black woman. “What makes you so strong, black woman?” He like others wonder how could the black female withstand her fall from the African gardens of Eden to endure 400 years of plantation bondage and to wander through the melee wilderness experiences of America? How is it that after being the mothers of ancient civilizations and the mammies to some of this country’s founders and presidents; after years of being messed on and messed over; after years of being walked on and walked out on; how it is that the pharaohs of this land fail to kill your spirit? What makes you so strong? How is it that you still the bear the wisdom of the Queen of Sheba and the courage of Queen Esther? After all that this world has done to you- the abuse and misuse; after all that black man and white man, have exploited and humiliated; what makes you so strong? How is it that you can do all that you do?
After this country and its culture has taught you to loathe your appearance – your broad hips and thick lips; your short kinky hair and blue black skin –after years of straighten-hot combs, burnt scalps, and no lye-relaxers, after years of bleaching and weaving – what makes you still so strong? What makes you Maya Angelou’s phenomenal woman? What makes you Destiny Child’s Independent Woman? Is it really the sun of your smile, the ride of your breast, the grace of your style? What makes you so strong? How can you rule a nation like Queen Cleopatra; yet, lead your people out of bondage like Harriet Tubman? How can you run fiercely like a Florence Joyner (FLO JO); and yet, walk gracefully like a Halle Berry? You can you dispense justice like a Judge Glenda Hatchett; and yet legislate law like a Maxine Waters? What makes you sing like a Patti Labelle; yet preach the gospel like a Juanita Bynum? What makes you so strong? By what power or by what name do you do what you do? Ted Coppel wants to know? Peter Jennings wants to Know? And, all those with inquiring minds want to know? My sisters what makes you so strong?(Jeremiah Wright, paraphase)
Well, I don’t know about you but I tend to believe that the some of the answers lies within the actions of these ancient women- two midwives, a Levite mother, Egyptian Princess, and a young watchful sister. I believe the key to your strength lies within the circle of wisdom connecting these sisters with diverse backgrounds; yet one common goal-that is to provide an ark of safety so that others can survive. The key to your strength lies in the circle of these five women. Now, these are not superwomen but they are strong women. They don’t have the economic clout of an Oprah Winfrey but they had the faith of the widow of Zarepath. They did not have the political power of a Carolyn Mosley Braun but they could get a prayer through to the heavens like a sister Hannah. They could not sing a lullaby like Whitney Houston but when it came time to testify to the goodness of God, they could dance like Miriam and magnify the Lord like Mary. These women are mothers who knew how to love; They are daughters who knew how to have compassion; They are sisters who knew the right time to intervene. These are women that most of us come from; women with backbone, keepers of the flame; spiritual women who protected and sheltered us through troubling times. These are the women in our text; Women who represent my kind of woman; Woman who are bringing into creation the new millennium man; women working together to save an endangered generation. The key to your strength can be seen in their actions during perilous times.
And these are perilous times. These are times whereby our eyes are witnessing some of the most devious attacks on the future generations of our people. These are the times whereby we still find ourselves living in a land of Pharaohs; pharaohs whose agenda is to turn back the hands of time and take back all that was gain through the civil rights movement of our people.
In this land of pharaohs, government would rather build more prisons to house young black men instead of building more schools to educate them. Politicians are trying to dismantle any type of gun control and put more guns into the hands our youths rather than put a budget together, which would create more jobs and opportunities.
In this land of pharaohs, racial profiling and false arrests are still a reality. Black men are incarcerated 4.5 times more than whites. Black on black crime is steady increasing and our life expectancy is decreasing. In this land of pharaohs, corporate layoffs are massive; affirmative action is becoming negatively inactive. We are still the last hired and the first fired. We are being afflicted with adult illiteracy, teenage pregnancy, and high rates of infant immortality.
In this land of pharaohs, we are being told to make bricks without straw. We have faith-based initiatives but our people show no initiative to demonstrate some faith. Yet, God is still on our side. God is still watching and moving. God is still on our side. Pharaoh has increased our labors; and yet, we are still not broken. He has decreased some of our wages; and yet, we are still striving. He has thrown his very worse at us; and yet, we as people go stronger and wiser. We have been given less; and yet, we are still doing more. God is on our side. There were some things that were cast down to us that have become instrumental in our development as a people. Think about it. We were thrown into slavery and oppression; and yet, we came out with Negro spirituals and the black church. They threw at us segregation and discrimination. We came back with rhythm and blues, jazz and soul, historical black colleges and the Harlem renaissance. They threw at us the pig inners, intestines, and bones. Our mothers cooked them up and gave them an ethnic cuisine --hog mogs and chitterlings. Pharaoh increased our burdens yet we still achieved and survived due much to the strength of our black women.
And so my question still stands, what makes you so strong my Nubian sister? What words of wisdom can you give to this new generation of women? How can we create more holy women of God and less ‘hoochie mamas’ and honeys? How can we introduce to the world more debutantes with integrity rather than vixens with attitudes? How can we as black brothers usher you into your glory, create for you a haven of rest, and treat you as the queen you are? What makes you so strong?
Well when I examine the women in our text, I notice three very important qualities that every good and godly woman should possess. I can see three gems of gold that a wise woman can pick up and place in her purse of experience: insight, intervention, and involvement.
Every good woman should have insight. You may call it a woman’s intuition. I call it insight. What made these women so strong was their insight. They had divine perception because of their Godly relationship. They were able to see that which others could not see. Just look at the story. Here we have a nervous pharaoh issuing a new law because of the perceived threat he sees in the Hebrew people. He tells his people that the Hebrew children were dangerous. He told them that they would grow up and take arms- bringing violence and chaos to their society. Pharaoh saw these Hebrews as dysfunctional and disruptive, lazy and shiftless, abusive and ignorant. His prejudice against these people affects his perception of their capabilities. His narrow-mindedness towards these people of a different persuasion, a different culture, class, and color affects his judgment regarding their potential. But thank God for some women who did not buy into his propaganda. Thank God for some sisters who did not believe the hype. Thank god for this young Levite mother who looked at her child and she saw that he was a goodly child. Her insight saw that he was good and it pleased her, as well as God. My sisters and brothers, when you look into the eyes of this generation, see some good, like these women. Where the pharaoh saw malice and problems, these women saw miracles and promise. Where pharaoh saw drug dealers, pimps, and criminals; the women saw doctors, lawyers, politicians, and preachers. And we need more women who can see our possibilities and not our problems. We need women who can see the potential of a new generation and the not the preconceived notions of negative media. We need women with insight. (Say, insight).
What made these women so strong were not only their insight but also their willingness to intervene. These women knew when to step in and get involved. They were willing to speak up and speak out. Just look at their natures and their names. By nature, these were midwives- anointed to bring forth life. By their names, they were denoted as being beautiful and spokeful. That’s what their names means. Shiphrah means ‘the elegant one’; the beautiful one. Puah means “the one who cries out”. Beautiful women are strong women who aren’t afraid to go against the norm and speak out. They are like Queen Ester who took a stand against Xerxes saying “if I perished, I perish.” They follow in the footsteps of Sojourner Truth whose feet took her and the slaves she led towards freedom and opportunity. They follow in the footsteps of Rosa Parks who sat down so that a people may stand up. Strong women are those who actions towards others create a beautiful thing. That’s what made Pharaoh’s daughter so beautiful and strong. That’s what brought out the queen in her. It was her willingness to reach outside her class and address those crying for help. What made her so beautiful was not her looks but her love. What made her elegant was not her economical status but her empathy for humanity. It wasn’t the cosmetics on her face but the content of her character. Real beauty can’t be bought but real beauty radiates from the inside. You can’t get it from Mary Kay, Maebelline or Avon. You can’t get it from Calvin Kline, Donna Karan, or Michael Kors. Real beauty comes from doing good rather than looking good and when you do good you look good. That is what made this princess of the Nile a queen in heaven. Although she was wealthy and powerful, she was not bourgeois and egotistical. Although she lived in a palace, she was still willing to open her doors to others. And that’s what we need in our community-women who are willing to use their clout and compassion to help those in crisis. We need women who have keys to the executive bathroom willing to reach out to those still working the kitchens and scrubbing the floors. A strong woman shows her beauty when she is willing to intervene out of compassion and help those in need.
Finally, what makes you so strong is your involvement. Get involved. What amazes me about this story is not only the fact of Pharaoh’s daughter taking pity on this Hebrew baby, but her decision to help the Levite mother by paying her to nurse this baby. What amazes me is her willingness to take this child and treat him as her own. She got involved. Oh I tell you, the world would be a better place if we had more women of virtue who were willing to collectively treat other children as their own. Only if we had more women who are not filled with jealousy and envy, and could trust each other enough to work for the benefit of our children.
Only if we had matriarchs who were willing to help our younger women in the bond of sisterhood and not feel threaten or intimidated. Only if we had more woman who could take the time and mentor our young girls in the rites of womanhood. And who knows your words may be the words that lift someone up from the sea of sin. Your words may be the word that causes some girl to wait for marriage prior to having casual sex. Your words may be the word that causes some young boy to stay in school, not join the local street gang, and keep away from drugs. Your words may be the word that causes that man to turn his life towards Christ.
When I think of the women in my life, when I think of what made them so strong-their insight, their intervention, and their involvement. I’m grateful for the kindness of Mrs. Riley who lent this Summa Cum Laude his first set of encyclopedia. I’m grateful for Mrs. Stansberry, who spoke into my destiny and said, “You are going places and do great things some day.’ I’m grateful for Mrs. McIver, my high school music teacher who used her insight, and saw past the timid and shy nature of a teenager and said, ‘Boy, you better open your mouth and sing.” I’m grateful for a Cordel Torrence, and a Betty Jackson, who said “Son, just give Jesus a try.” When I think about the women in my life. I think about strong women, beauty women, Godly women, who use their insight to intervene, and their insight to cooperate. Those are the women in my life that made a difference. And I thank God for my mothers, my sisters, my nieces, and my daughters. Give God some glory. Amen.
