A week into the New Year, I had a full Saturday planned—clean the church with my mom, make cards with my friend, then get groceries and go out to dinner with my husband.

With my arms filled my craft bag, my purse, and a freshly brewed cup of tea in my favorite travel mug, I headed outside and down the front steps. The toe of my boot caught a loose loop on the lead we use to let our dogs outside. I stumbled. With my hands full, I had no way of catching myself. I did a very graceless face plant in the snow. Passersby probably got a good laugh.

But I wasn’t laughing. In fact, I couldn’t move. I yelled to my husband, who, thankfully, had seen me fall. He rushed outside and helped me into the house.

I’m praising God I didn’t have any broken bones, but I injured my right knee terribly. For several days, I rested, iced, and elevated it to help reduce the pain and swelling. Two and a half weeks later, I’m still hobbling a bit. My range of motion is limited. I have a worn knee that isn’t able to kneel.

When I chose my One Word for 2022, knee-worn, that was not what I had in mind.

Several weeks ago, I shared a poem written by author and artist Mary DeMuth that inspired my One Word—knee-worn.

Prayer © Mary DeMuth

In that same post, I talked about the nudge God placed on my heart about starting some sort of encouragement ministry for women. God whispered my One Word would also become my encouragement ministry—The Knee-worn Woman. Yet, I had no idea what it would entail.

Dream Big. Start Small.

A couple of years ago, I heard the song “Dream Small” by Josh Wilson. As someone who had grown up in a small town and attends a small church, I understood the value of dreaming small. Like the song says, Jesus will use us where we are.

However, I also know we serve a wondrous God who encourages us to dream big in order to show what He can do with our hearts’ desires. So, I put the two together—dream big, but start small.

The Knee-worn Woman is intended to encourage women to seek Jesus with all their hearts, referencing Jeremiah 29: 12-13 NIV.

We need to encourage one another to:

• Seek
• Pray
• Trust

Seek: What does it mean to seek Him?

Seek means to find something, usually something that’s lost. God wants to be found by you and me. That means setting our hearts and minds on the Lord who desires to be number one in our lives. Seeking Him with all our hearts means we are making a conscious choice to be in His Presence. Through daily Bible reading and prayer, we are able to communicate with our Heavenly Father in such an intimate way. When we seek Him, He reveals Himself to us through his Word, through prayer, through His creation. Seeking Him requires a humble, teachable heart willing to grow in His grace and goodness.

Pray: Why is prayer so important?

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, the veil was torn. Now we can have direct communication with our Heavenly Father. The beauty of prayer is that it allows us to develop and deepen our relationship with the Creator of all things. When we pray, we are able to affirm who He is and what He means to us. We are able to confess our sins and seek forgiveness that will draw us closer to Him. We can thank Him for the abundant provision and protection He offers on a daily basis. And we can go to him with all kinds of prayer requests. Prayer sets the tone for our loving relationship with the One who calls us daughter.

Trust: What does it mean to trust God?

What does it mean to trust God? Prayer and trust go hand in hand. We pray and cast our cares on Him. Then, we have faith that He will fulfill His promises. Honestly, trusting God is often easier to say than to actively do. But learning to trust Him is an active part of our faith journey. When we trust God, we are letting go of our fears and having courageous hearts that believe in His might and power no matter what happens. It’s so easy to trust God when your life is going well. But what happens when you lose your job or your spouse or perhaps a wayward child to addiction? Where is your trust when you’re in the valley? It needs to be just as strong as when you’re standing on the mountaintops. God allows trials to take place in our lives because that’s how our faith is refined in order to flourish. Trusting God gives us peace in the process and joy in the journey.

The Posture of Our Hearts

Becoming a knee-worn woman isn’t necessarily the posture of our bodies, but it’s more about the posture of our hearts. By encouraging women to seek Him with all their hearts, I hope we do become a knee-worn people—people who seek out of habit, pray without ceasing, and trust unconditionally. May our knees become worn from time spent in His presence as we seek His face together.

The Knee-worn Woman will start small with a separate page on this site where I’ll post weekly. I’m creating a private Facebook group where women can pray and encourage one another. Eventually, we will do Bible studies and have a podcast. But for now, I’m dreaming big and starting small, allowing God to use me right where I am for His glory. I invite you to take part in the journey of becoming a knee-worn woman as we encourage one another to seek Him with all our hearts as He reveals a future and a hope for each one of us.