You raise so many significant ideas and how they are interrelated–power differential, entitlement, God’s timing, cultural nuances, internalized -isms, etc. Today being Ash Wednesday, I find myself so much more aware of many of the shadow areas of my heart. Thank you for helping me focus my reflections on how my impatience during times of waiting may reveal my own privilege!

While I think a different image might be helpful, I can’t seem to come up with one. But something that helped me a great deal recently was when I watched my niece and nephew play. My nephew, who’s a little older, wouldn’t let my niece win at a game, even when she asked him to let her win. (And even when he won all the time.) As an adult, I watched this interaction and saw myself in my nephew — as someone who couldn’t stand losing. And yet, in that instance, I also saw how much the competition didn’t matter so much. This third-person perspective helped me to see myself differently — as someone who has already won a lot in her life, and who doesn’t lose anything or any worth if someone else wins.

Somehow, when I see myself this way, I see myself as rich enough, without anything to lose. While this struggle still hasn’t gone away completely, it’s eased up quite a bit. Hope this helps someone who’s reading.

First of all, we need to practice and live out that kingdom perspective before we can be prophetess against the system of “Only one bee/cobra at the top” mindset.

Chloe

I’m wondering, too, whether we can simultaneously work as prophet against some of the dominant systems that perpetuate the “only-ONE-bee(cobra)-at-the-top” thinking or norms. If that culture is dismantled, then the competitiveness is more likely to diminish…? Just reflecting in hope that this would also be part of bringing God’s kin-dom on earth, as it is in heaven…. I welcome your thoughts. And thanks again for the inspiration to grace-ful leadership!

Thanks very much, Grace (and Joy), for sharing your difficult yet hopeful story! Though it took longer than you desired, it’s so obvious that God’s hand was in it, guiding you in, through, over, and under the many obstacles that society placed before you!!

WOW! is about to launch a website in the next month or two. But if any of you’d like to receive our email notices, please simply write “Subscribe” in the subject line and send your request to womenofwonderinc@gmail.com

Manni Lee, a board member of WOW!, and I will also have a booth at APIWL (Asian Pacific Islander Women’s Leadership Conference) in L.A. (May 2-3, 2012) and we’d love to meet you in person!

http://www.apiwil2012.seacleaders.com/