The Joy of the Lord Is Our Strength: A Women’s History Month Reflection
Women’s History Month invites us to pause and honor the courage, resilience, brilliance, and faith of women who have shaped families, churches, communities, and nations. It is a time of remembrance and reclamation of joy.
Amid celebrating achievements and acknowledging struggles, one scripture rises in my spirit in this poignant moment, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” - Nehemiah 8:10. These words spoken by Nehemiah are not mere words of comfort. These words were declared in a moment of collective grief.
The people of Israel had returned from exile. The walls of Jerusalem were being rebuilt under the leadership of Nehemiah. When the Law was read aloud, the people wept. They were confronted with how far they had drifted and how much had been lost. Yet, in a sacred moment, Nehemiah prophetically reminded them that joy would be their strength.
If we are honest, women’s history is not only a story of triumph. It is a story of:
Doors closed and then forced open.
Voices silenced and then amplified.
Labor overlooked and then recognized.
Tears shed in private and strength displayed in public.
From mothers who held families together with prayer and determination, to activists who marched when it was dangerous, to entrepreneurs who built tables when they were denied seats, women have practiced a holy defiance through joy.
Joy has been a form of resistance. Joy has been fuel for endurance. Joy has been sacred strength.
The joy that Nehemiah spoke of is not denial, pretense or ignoring the reality of our struggles as women. This joy is rooted in God’s faithfulness and the examples of women who modeled what it means to choose joy daily.
Women throughout history remind us that joy is not fragile. It is not frail happiness that depends on perfect circumstances. It is anchored joy. It is joy that survives disappointment, inequity, grief, and fatigue.
Throughout Scripture we see women who embody this joy.
Mary, who carried promise under the shadow of scandal.
Hannah, who prayed through barrenness.
The women at the tomb, who carried spices in grief but ran back in proclamation.
Their lives remind us that joy is not the absence of struggle. It is the presence of God in the struggle.
Women’s History Month is not just about looking back. It is about looking forward. It reminds us that joy has generational power. It teaches present and future generations of women and girls that joy is not frivolous, it is fortifying. Joy sustains us in moments of burnout. Joy refreshes and revives us from exhaustion.
As women, especially those who lead, serve, nurture, and build, we must remember joy is not selfish indulgence. It is stewardship. Joy nourishes our soul. Joy protects our mental well-being. Joy reminds us that we are more than our work and what we produce for others.
The scripture reminds us that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” Our joy is sourced in God’s character, faithfulness, justice, creativity, and restorative power. It is joy that says:
I am sustained.
I am seen.
I am called.
I am not alone.
During this Women’s History Month, may we celebrate not only what women have accomplished, but how we have endured. May we honor the quiet strength behind the public victories. And may we reclaim joy, not as decoration, but as our divine right and empowerment.
Because when we walk in the joy of the Lord, we do not merely survive history… We shape it.
Dr. Toni Alvarado