This Is My Why
With the culmination of the OWNC and some new OW groups starting, I thought it would be a good time to reintroduce myself. My name is Emily Webb and I am the Director of Ordinary Women. I also teach fitness classes because I love preparing people’s bodies not only spiritually, but also physically for whatever God may be calling them to do. I have been married for 20 years to my high school sweetheart who is an amazing man of God. We have two children together and are navigating our way through the coaching stage of parenting as Weston is 19 years old and working in California, and Ella is a 17 year old high school senior. This is also the time in parenting where you spend most of your time on your knees begging with God over your children. To say my faith has grown immensely during this time would be a huge understatement! Recently though, I have been contemplating my “why” in my role at Ordinary Movement.
When doing anything in life, it is always important to be able to identify your “why” behind the “what.” Lately I have been thinking a lot about this as it pertains to my position as Director of Ordinary Women. Why do I do what I do? Why do I volunteer my time to serve other women and would anyone notice if I left? Why did I decide a few months ago to pull back on teaching fitness classes (something I love very much) in order to make more time for OW? Why has God given me a heart for so many women that I have never even met? After much thought and prayer, I came to the realization that it was not because of all the women, but because of each individual story.
This is my “why.”
I believe in discipleship and in what we do at Ordinary Movement because of the woman who has been a Christian for 30 years but finally found a real relationship with Christ during her time in OW. And for the woman who never allowed herself to be vulnerable with other women for fear of being judged, but when she did, she realized how much lighter her burdens became when they were shouldered by others. For the woman who didn’t know she needed a group of women praying for her until her child became ill, and she found herself desperate and reaching out for prayer. For the woman who finally found a daily rhythm of meeting with Jesus after years of struggling with consistency. For the woman who spent multiple hours building a relationship with her neighbor and finally gained the boldness to talk to her about the Lord. For the woman who said she would never lead a group because she “wasn’t really a leader” but led a group that has since multiplied. And for the countless other women that felt ill-equipped and under qualified to disciple others and have stepped out obediently in faith despite their fears. All of these individual stories and many more make up my “why.” Every beautiful story woven together to form one giant tapestry of women living on mission in an understanding that “our lives matter because other lives depend on us.” After finally feeling certain of my “why,” I received a package in the mail from a very special ordinary woman whose thoughtfulness deeply rooted in my heart the seeds that God had been planting.
So from now on, when I begin to question my purpose and my position, I will remember every life that has been changed because of an encounter with Jesus in a little group called Ordinary Women.