Important Roles

Read Romans 16:1-15 - woman working for the Lord

And I ask you, my true teammate, to help these women, for they worked side by side with me in telling the Good News to others; and they worked with Clement, too. and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are written in the Book of Life. Philippians 4:3 (TLB)

Are you familiar with the names Jochebed, Shiphrah, and Puah? Monica A. Andermann, from New York, didn't readily recognize these names, but they were key players in Moses' birth story i Exodus 1. Jochebed was Moses' birth mother. Shiphrah and Puah were the midwives believed to have attended to his birth, also known to have defied the Pharaoh's order regarding newborn boys. Yet the names of these courageous women of God are not widely repeated or familiar. In today's scripture, the apostle Paul expressed his thanks to the church's faithful workers - many of them women whose names may not be familiar to us.

Likewise, we may not know the names of all the women who make our daily lives a bit easier. Today, on International Women's Day, take a moment to recognize the women who are there for us each day as customer service representatives, supermarket clerks, bus drivers, postal workers, crossing guards, police offices, and other first responders. They all play important roles in our lives and communities. Give them a heartfelt "thank you" or offer a silent prayer of gratitude. We may not know their names, but we should never forget how important they are.

Prayer: God of courage, thank you for all your workers here on earth. May we never take anyone for granted. remind us to remain grateful, as Paul did, for the contributions of those around us, in Jesus' name. Amen.