LEAD. August 2020 | Page 18

the best of their daughters while knowing they will need help to get there. Godmothers are women who are committed to growing others. This translates to speaking life, strength, and course correction to see that happen. You don’t have to be old to be a godmother; you just have to be more spiritually mature. I’ve been privileged to be this in one capacity or another. Whether it is online, in meetings, or through my books, there is no greater joy or honor than when a young woman calls me Mama Lisa. I remember the day my perspective shifted. I was in a meeting with our team, and they brought up my social media demographics. They asked if I knew the age of the women who follow me. I shrugged my shoulders and volunteered the age range of women close to my age. My team shared that my analytics said the largest group who followed me were women aged twenty-five to thirty-four. so I explained, “Don’t you see? They don’t need another speaker. They are looking for a mother.” They were looking for someone to help them fill in their gaps. And we live in a time when there are quite a few gaps in desperate need of tending. Godmothers help us fill in the gaps. Excerpted from Godmothers by Lisa Bevere. Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Copyright 2020. Used by permission. BakerPublishingGroup.com. I burst into tears. It was not lost on me that my youngest son was twenty-five and my oldest was thirtythree. My team was surprised by my reaction, BUY NOW Lisa Bevere has spent nearly three decades empowering women to find their identity and purpose. She is a cancer survivor and a New York Times bestselling author. Her books include Godmothers, Without Rival, Adamant, Lioness Arising, and Girls with Swords. Lisa and her husband, John, cofounded Messenger International to develop uncompromising followers of Christ who transform their world. To this end, Messenger has given away more than 40 million resources in over 100 languages. 18