A WISE NORTH STAR
BY ROBYN WHITAKER
“Where are you going as you age?” “Do you have a North Star?” “Who do you want
to become after a lifetime of suffering?” “How will you sustain beauty, strength and
goodness?”
What holds your heart captive? Do you
know what echoes from your past into
the present and is determined to persist
into your future? I hope you will ponder
You probably feel just like I did when I heard these asked of me. Intense questions for
which I had no quick answers. For weeks, I pondered my responses.
these questions and find what imprisons
you from the past. Possibly, it is the pain of
your own sin/wrong choices or maybe it is
I do not want to pursue a woman of folly or to become a foolish woman. Yet, true wisdom
sin that was committed against your young
can be an elusive find. Contrary to popular belief, intelligence, knowledge, age and gray
body, emotions or spirit. A wise woman asks
hair don’t necessarily equate with “wisdom.” I’ve seen more than my share of intellectually
such questions.
verbose women with silver tresses acting more than a bit foolish while claiming that age
has set them free. So, what am I looking for?
I know you are wondering if I have a North
Star. I do! No, she is not perfect and she
A woman who knows her heart well and asks God to clearly reveal what holds it captive.
would be the first to admit she struggles.
She is aware that a heart can easily be entangled by perfectionism, the desire to and for
That is so refreshing to me. It gives me hope!
control, comparison, envy, and gossip among other prisons. She is a woman who has been
She is further along this journey called life
caught and exposed in her sinful choices. Resentment whispers, but truth takes her heart
and her heart’s desire is to merely point the
to repentance.
way. She encourages me to come further
up and further into the life that Jesus Christ
This wise woman has the courage to create a different future by looking at her past. She
knows, accepts, and understands that so much of who she is was created years ago from
has for me on this earth and someday more
fully with Him.
pain that echoes into the present. Facing her heartache, she experiences more of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result, she begins to hold both sorrow and joy with the capacity
So, this is your life.
to extend life and love to others. For you see, knowing her story, she begins to know her
true identity in Jesus Christ and in this world.
Do you know who you want to be?
I seek a woman who lives from her heart. She sees with her heart and persists in finding
Oh, I hope you find women who will be
dignity in others – her heart seeks the “needs beneath the deeds” and offers kindness and
your North Star. It’s one of the best ways to
compassion. She will speak from her heart. Her words speak truth in love and kindness.
find your way. And in this life of suffering,
Silence occurs when we do not understand how to love. She desires to love well. You
our hope of sustaining beauty, strength and
will also see her heart as she is unashamed to express her desire for true life and love. Her
goodness is found only in Jesus Christ. True
authentic vulnerable heart is out in plain view sharing sorrow, joy and all of it’s in- between
North Stars always point us in that direction.
passionate spaces. Lastly, she prayerfully and purposely sacrifices her heart for the sake
of giving others an opportunity to choose life. No, she is not a doormat. She is lovely,
wise, vulnerable, kind and strong – a woman who does not short-change her intimate
relationships by offering crumbs.
So, I know some of you might be thinking, “Well good grief Robyn, that’s more difficult to
find than a Proverbs 31 woman!” I would agree – there are often few women of wisdom to
pattern our hearts after. Maybe authenticity and deep connection, although we long for
it in relationships, scares us to death and we bury or ignore this God-given hope. Why do
we do that? Could it be that we do not know our stories of pain?
28
Where am I going and who do I hope to
become? My desire is to be a North Star.◙