In this month’s editorial, Woman Alive commissioning editor Jemimah Wright explains why sharing stories of faith, miracles and breakthrough matters – especially when you are still waiting for your own answer to prayer. She reveals the heart behind Woman Alive: to put courage into our hearts and remind us that God is still good, still present and still at work.
Recently I heard someone say they didn’t like Christian magazines, as it made them feel bad about their life. I was sad to hear this, as it is the very opposite of what we intend to do!
Why do we tell stories of faith, share testimonies of miracles and breakthroughs, and introduce you to women who are stepping out in obedience to God? For me, the answer is found in the word encourage. It comes through the French encourager, from en- meaning “in” and corage, meaning “courage” or “heart”. Its original sense is beautifully simple: to put courage into someone – to strengthen their heart.
That is what I hope we do at Woman Alive. When we share a story of someone receiving a miracle, it isn’t to make you feel that you have somehow missed out because you are still waiting for yours. It is to put courage in your heart: God is able. God is still good. God is still with you – even when you are walking through a valley.
When we tell the stories of Christian women who have followed a passion or responded to God’s call by starting a business, it isn’t to make you feel guilty because you haven’t taken that step. It is to encourage you that God cares about the details of your life. He can lead you, equip you and open doors you never expected.
In Revelation, we are told that God’s people overcame “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony”. What God has done in someone else’s life can strengthen our faith for what we are facing in our own. I love the picture in Hebrews of the “great cloud of witnesses” surrounding us. That is what I want Woman Alive to be: a community of women cheering each other on, reminding you of God’s goodness and helping you to keep going as an overcomer.
We are not simply filling pages or producing stories. We are creating spaces where faith can be strengthened, questions can be explored, hope can be found and courage can be put into hearts.
This month, we hear from SAT-7 host Marianne Awaraji, who talks about being a wife and mother in war-torn Lebanon and the ways Jesus has made himself known to her in the midst of it.
Dot Butler shares her remarkable life story – from searching for Jesus while working as a roving reporter in the North East in her twenties, to discovering how profoundly he would change her life.
And I was particularly excited to interview Naomi Partridge of HOLOS Kombucha and Dr Nella Grace in the Premier podcast studio in London. Look out for the YouTube recording and podcast coming soon.
Thank you for journeying with us. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, please do. Your support helps us continue telling these stories and you never know when someone else’s testimony might be exactly what you need to keep believing.
Love,
Jemimahx
