There’s this thing about women.
They may be wearing purple boots or skinny jeans or sweat pants. But when they do that thing – that thing where they look right into your eyes, where they just reach over and hug you, where they whisper secret truths in tears that trail slowly down their cheeks, where they surprise you with a packet of Twizzlers, where they smile into the scrunched up face of your daughter, where they save you a spot at dinner, where they lend you their lipstick, where they aren’t afraid to babysit your screaming baby, where they hold your hand tight, tight while you try to exhale, where they compliment your hair.
Yea, that thing they do?
It’s magical.
It’s the kind of super power that can turn a day inside out.
What women can do for one another.
How they can heal each other with the power of laughter.
And hospitality that’s contagious.
Sometimes we’re so busy wondering if we’re getting it right, so busy worrying we’re not measuring up, so caught up in thinking we need to be just like her that we forget she loves us just the way we are.
She loves the joy and Jesus and friendship and tired-up-all-night-with-the-baby eyes that make you, you. Forget awkward, forget feeling small or insecure or worried about what she’s thinking.
Jump.
Just jump.
Women have the power to catch you in their I-know-just-what-you’re-talking-about smiles, their encouragement that it gets easier or better or that God-will-hold-you-when-it-doesn’t empathy.
Let them.
Open your heart, your hand, your home. Forget making them look perfect.
Just invite a friend in.
Take a risk.
It might be the best kind of worth it.
The very best kind.
::
{Photos from the Relevant Conference’s Smile Booth. A gathering place of friends and women and laughter}
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I adore your smile in the midst of all of these lovelies
You are all stunningly breathtaking 
There are not words enough in number nor depth to express how I love this bit you penned and the way these silly little photos capture it.
It was the best of weekends. And you, and all of them, the best of friends.
The very best drive to the airport at 2am of friends.
You are the lovely.
xoxo
Yes. It’s the best of friends that drive friends to the airport at 2am. It’s also the best of friends who call their husband to get road reports for friends.
what you said…beautiful…lovely….true
may this spirit of kinship that was ignited at Relevant be fanned into flame in our communities.
you are all kinds of amazing, my friend
I more than love this—-> “we forget she loves us just the way we are.” That is exactly how Relevant felt. We suddenly weren’t competing blogs, we were friends who just loved each other.
SO HAPPY I got to hang with you, friend.
a
Yes, friends, not platforms or stats or comment boxes.
And I wish we were next-door-neighbor kind of friends too. For reals, yo!
I could NOT agree more! Relevant is so much more than a conference, or a retreat! It’s a sisterhood… it is “home.”
So lovely. Each word, each photo. Joy, joy, joy! Love it!
Looks like you found words to put around some cool truths.
Ha – yes, turns out the pictures told the story. I just had to translate a little.
I love you. I love your heart for women. And I love this post. And, seriously, these photos are incredible!!
I know, I sort of happy cried my way through every single one of the 700 or so that were captured. Magical, I tell you. MAGICAL! Women are all that, for sure!
you are some kinda fantastic! Please – post your social media ninja break out – SO many twitter folks need to read that !
This is perfection.
The true definition of Christian sisterhood . . .
Why all the rules of the world don’t apply. . . . because of that one perfect and holy common denominator.
I love this.
Thank you so much for sharing the awesome pictures. My heart grew at least a size in my chest!!
I love it!
so true, and it looks like you all had so much fun!!!
SUCH great pictures! I wanted to do the smile booth but I just couldn’t. Love it. So sweet.
What fun memories that little booth captured! And what beautiful words pulled them all together. Such a lovely pleasure to meet you and your darling little girl!!
Women are some kind of amazing wonderful, aren’t they?
You’ve all healed me …
And how He’s used you, my South African heart sister, to be a balm in Gilead.
Stilling smiling, heart bursting,
All’s grace,
Ann
Such beautiful faces…but even more, the joy shining through the eyes, from the God hearts of those faces…So many wonderful women met in PA this weekend. I’m awed, humbled, inspired and encouraged by all that God is doing through so many wonderful women in this world…
You translated those photos – those each worth a thousand words photos – into perfect music. You didn’t miss a beat, Friend.
Thank you for inviting me in. You wear your super hero cape so well, and all us gals thank you for the love.
I love you always and forever!
You are one beautiful lady. Inside and out.
And this post? Powerful. Brought tears to my eyes.
Oh, what a beautiful group of souls, shining out of eyes and smiles. So glad your time in PA was rich and wonderful – sure seeing evidence of that all over this wide, wonderful web.
Your words always hit right at my heart, Lisa-Jo, these especially today:
“Sometimes we’re so busy wondering if we’re getting it right, so busy worrying we’re not measuring up, so caught up in thinking we need to be just like her that we forget she loves us just the way we are.”
What an amazing idea to do a photo booth at Relevant. They are just such a blast, and such a wonderful illustration of the joy and love that was there.
just
let
them
love this. simply love.
I LOVE the JOY that is leaping off your page, Lisa Jo
. And while I wasn’t able to attend Relevant, it makes me happy, truly happy, for those who were there. It’s just as it was supposed to be.
You’ve captured the essence of women and friendship with your words; the smilebooth did it in pictures.
. **love**
p.s. Did you say “magical”??
Heh
Indeed I did. And it was. And you were missed!
thanks for the encouragement this morning! you put into words exactly how i feel about the women that i love like sisters here around me. a few years ago i felt disconnected and lonely. god prompted me to reach out, open my home, invite people in even though i was tired and the house was messy and i always forgot to bake the special muffins.
in the past few years deep, rich, real, encouraging friendships have formed and i am blessed to be surrounded by women who love me in the way you describe.
Oh goodness. Tears. Pure joy. How wonderfully amazing this weekend was. I am stunned and still basking in God’s awesomeness, how we all came together and it felt like the most fantastic family reunion
So blessed by this post, and by meeting YOU and precious Zoe in person! My heart overflows…
I was so ready to like and stumble this page until the point where you mentioned god and jesus. Women have been persecuted by your religion for so long, why can’t you see this? Why do you propagate this message of love for women when you know you are second class citizens in the eyes of god? I feel so sorry for you. You’ll never know the love of a real man.
Oh Jade, you’re right. Tragically Christians, churches, men and women have – over the years – treated women as second class citizens. But not my Jesus. He was radical in His approach to women – counter cultural – in His friendships with them, refusing to treat them as anything but essential, standing up for them to the religious leaders of the day, and trusting them as key members of His ministry. He did the same with children – welcoming them and their mothers when His disciples wanted to shoo them away. And I’m grateful for the many good men who follow in His footsteps.
I could not love this more. What a beautiful picture of friendship and womanhood! If only This could remain in the forefront of our minds on the day to day what a much happier place we would all be in. Thank you for this. It challenges me to be a better friend. To each out more and to let down the walls I do often hide behind:))
Thankful,
Melissa
Thank you. I needed this today.
Love it ! That is so true, women have this power to make the world change colour with just a touch or a smile.
Next year… maybe next year, I will be in one of those crazy, wonderful, full of joy pictures!!
awww…this was a sweet picture of women loving each other…full, rich life! A huge highlight for me was meeting you face-to-face, giving you a prayer card AND especially holding your sweet Zoe while you ate lunch:} My cup runs over and I am so thankful, especially for YOU being just as wonderful in person as I would have imagined:} much love!
I wasn’t sure what my expectations were for the conference other than not to pass out from fear since I was going alone and didn’t “know” anyone. I have to say that while the anxiety of feeling like the new kid at school remained – the grace and joy I experienced was abundant. I am still trying to figure out what this bloggy community thing is but I am liking it more and more!
Too much fun.
Love, love, love the way you put words and these images together. Last week was a joy!
Thank you for capturing the essence of girl friends in such a simple yet powerful post.
My favourite sentence: ‘Women have the power to catch you in their I-know-just-what-you’re-talking-about smiles’
I’m encouraged by the friendships that you have and look forward to that day where I can experience what you have.
Tears streaming down my face. Those kinds of friends are THE BEST! Thanks for your post, it rocked – just like you!
Oh, wow. What an encouragement for me to become that kind of friend. Thank you.
I have been reading so much about this conference…next year, I need to try and go next year!!!
What a lovely reflection of the sisterhood in Christ! Beautiful they are- each one…
You captured all the “magic” of Relevant perfectly. Your words. And the amazing, laughable, and fun photos… Such fond memories!!