What God Revealed at the End of a 21 Day Fast

I had just completed a 21-day fast.

CREST had begun quietly — abstaining from caffeine, rushing, eating out, shopping, and television. It wasn’t about food. It was about surrender.

On Day 21, I found myself outside shoveling snow and ice for nearly two hours. My fingers were frozen. My body was exhausted. My heart felt heavier than the snow.

A lady texted, stating that we go to the same church. She wanted to drop off a little care package on behalf of some people. I assumed she might be bringing flowers. Or a meal. Or perhaps a small treat. Within the hour she drove up while a couple of us were still shoveling snow.

I was not prepared. What unfolded next completely undid me. I cried. And cried. And cried some more.

A group called “12 Ordinary Women” had gathered around me in a way that was both deeply practical and profoundly personal. I had to read the message several times before it truly sank in.

My love language is gift-giving. For decades, I have been the giver. The encourager. The one helping others stand again.

But this recent season has been different. I ended up having some big unexpected needs due to an earlier incident.

And I will be honest — being the one in need felt unsettling, even shameful. Not the healthy kind of humbling, but the kind that tempts you to withdraw. To shrink. To stop hoping.

Yet these women saw past my smile.

They recognized that everything had not been okay.

And they stepped in.

I had been crying out to God during that 21-day fast, admitting that I needed His help.

And He answered — Through ordinary women. With generosity. With tangible provision. With grace.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” — James 4:6

The Call to Action

If you are the strong one — the giver, the encourager — and you find yourself in a season of need, let someone show up for you.

And if someone around you is smiling but silently struggling, be brave enough to check-in more than once.

Ordinary women change lives by saying yes to God, by being obedient, and by being generous with their time, talents, and or treasures.

today’s radiant insight:

Strength is not diminished by receiving help.
It is often revealed through it.