Rachel Barkey was a young woman with two small children who lost her battle with breast cancer early in July of this year.
She gave a talk to a large group of women back in March of this year that has now been viewed/heard by countless thousands of women via the website Death Is Not Dying.com
I was introduced to Rachel and her story sometime last Spring via another site I frequent (John Piper's website, Desiring God) and have watched/listened to the video of her talk that day in March so many times I have honestly lost count.
If I had to guess, I'd say I've heard it and absorbed it no less than 50 times.
Rachel's words go straight to the heart of women --
what moves us, what we value,
and how we view ourselves.
Those in my life often hear me speak of the need to "hold things in this life very loosely" -
and to
"never lose sight of the bigger picture that our lives are"
and to steer clear of the kind of thinking that is bound up in what we consider our
"entitlements" in this life.
We often feel entitled to many things and they're all good things...
we enter this life with our "list" of them and that's all well and good...
the "entitlement" to have children, yet many women find this desire goes unfulfilled in their lives;
the "entitlement" to get married, yet some of the most wonderful people around still find that desire of their hearts unmet;
the "entitlement" to be healthy and free of disease or hardship, and still we know many in our own close circle of family/friend who are ravaged by sickness and tragedy
(my own mother is at this moment living past the time given her by hospice)
and on it goes....
But the question is this (and its a hard one)
:
What if we are NEVER granted one of or ANY of the things on our "list"?
What then?
Is our life devoid of meaning?
Do we now serve no purpose because we do not have a child or children?
Or a spouse?
Or that career we counted on?
We can easily feel that our lives do not "count" if there is not a far bigger calling and meaning to our lives -- one bigger than our comfort, our desires, our "list".
What a pity if we are defined only by the things we aspire to
-- the things that all too often define us.
But really, our lives here are not so much about what we feel we are entitled to,
but rather how we can serve and live lives of example and purpose for eternity.
Not until I heard Rachel's words, did I find the best way of finally describing what I always meant by the idea of "holding loosely" and flinging off those ideas of selfish entitlement.
what moves us, what we value,
and how we view ourselves.
Those in my life often hear me speak of the need to "hold things in this life very loosely" -
and to
"never lose sight of the bigger picture that our lives are"
and to steer clear of the kind of thinking that is bound up in what we consider our
"entitlements" in this life.
We often feel entitled to many things and they're all good things...
we enter this life with our "list" of them and that's all well and good...
the "entitlement" to have children, yet many women find this desire goes unfulfilled in their lives;
the "entitlement" to get married, yet some of the most wonderful people around still find that desire of their hearts unmet;
the "entitlement" to be healthy and free of disease or hardship, and still we know many in our own close circle of family/friend who are ravaged by sickness and tragedy
(my own mother is at this moment living past the time given her by hospice)
and on it goes....
But the question is this (and its a hard one)
:
What if we are NEVER granted one of or ANY of the things on our "list"?
What then?
Is our life devoid of meaning?
Do we now serve no purpose because we do not have a child or children?
Or a spouse?
Or that career we counted on?
We can easily feel that our lives do not "count" if there is not a far bigger calling and meaning to our lives -- one bigger than our comfort, our desires, our "list".
What a pity if we are defined only by the things we aspire to
-- the things that all too often define us.
But really, our lives here are not so much about what we feel we are entitled to,
but rather how we can serve and live lives of example and purpose for eternity.
Not until I heard Rachel's words, did I find the best way of finally describing what I always meant by the idea of "holding loosely" and flinging off those ideas of selfish entitlement.
She touched women in life and is still impacting women now even these months after her passing.
Amazing.
I want to be one such woman.
Oh how I do.
Oh how I do.
Do you?
We can.
But our view of ourselves, our purpose and most of all, God, must be accurate.
Rachel's words help clarify these things more than anything else I've known.
It's as though her cancer was given to her for this one reason -- so that she could walk through it
to become (unwittingly) a pillar of faith and a HUGE inspiration and catalyst to change other
women's lives.
You hear it in her speech -- she sees her cancer as part of a bigger purpose by which she is being used
in a way she NEVER would have been used before.
One of her favorite quotes is
"God allows in His wisdom, what He could easily prevent in His power..."
"God allows in His wisdom, what He could easily prevent in His power..."
If you have 55 minutes -- while you're folding laundry, doing dishes, blogging, surfing the web, whatever...
please click on Rachel's video and just drink it in.
You don't even have to have 55 minutes "free" -- you can just turn the video on and go about what you're doing, and just listen.
Of course, I'm thinking that once you click and see her - and begin hearing her - chances are you won't be able to take your eyes off her.
Oh the days I've pulled up her video just to have it playing once more in the background as I work, only to find myself not buzzing around working as I listen,
but sitting glued to my office chair, staring at her lovely face and listening to her words....
but sitting glued to my office chair, staring at her lovely face and listening to her words....
And I don't regret one time of doing that.
Nor will you.
Nor will you.
:)
I was prompted to (finally) post this video of Rachel today when I saw it appear on another blog that I follow by Jen of Chronicles of Windy Ridge.
She posted it and I thought -- you know -- I'm going to finally share this, too.
The more women who hear Rachel's words the better because I beleive we as women need a fresh perspective on who we are, why we're here, and how our lives can be more than just living each day keeping up with chores and errands.
I hope Rachel's talk inspires you and maybe even changes your life.
It's really, truly, that powerful.
Thanks, Rachel -- you rock and one day, I hope to sip a cup of heaven's tea with you and chat...
~Ruth~
