In Praise of Older Women

I want to be Gloria Gaither when I grow up.

There...I said it. I don't want Gloria's life (I'm grateful for and treasure mine), I simply want to be like her: Spirit-infused wise, at-home in my own skin, and able to generously love the world out of the bounty of Jesus' love for me. But above all, like Gloria, I want my thoughts, words and actions to be informed and shaped by my life in Christ.

In my 27+ plus years with Mid-Morning, Gloria Gaither is my favorite guest. Funny thing is, I'd never interviewed her until today. She and Char were, and still are, kindred-spirit buddies. Their friendship is fueled by their desperate love for Jesus; mutual respect and admiration for each other; and a passion for challenging Christians to think. Over the years I've listen intently to every Gloria interview to discover her thoughts on everything from television evangelists to movies, honest doubting to why she and Bill have stayed married.

What did I learn from my first interview with Gloria Gaither? We all need women older than ourselves who are further down the road to speak into our lives. Sometimes we actually know the woman. We can call, text or e-mail her. But most importantly, we can actually be with her. Look her in the eye. Fall into her arms when we need the comfort and assurance only the shelter of a woman's bosom can offer. Other times the woman is someone we feel we know, though we haven't actually met. She's an author (Karen Kingsbury), a Bible teacher (Beth Moore), a missionary (Mother Teresa), a wife or mother or cancer survivor or someone else we learn about on the Internet or from a friend. Either way, God uses her to speak a perfect word from His heart to ours.

So thank you, Gloria Gaither, for inspiring me to keep following Jesus, to be grateful for the all that I am...and am not, to not be afraid of doubts or questions about God, and to celebrate the arts (which I love but no longer worship) as gifts and expressions of God.

All of us are an older woman to another female. What are our younger counterparts learning from us?