Isaiah 2:4. They will beat their swords into ploughshares…nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
In 2002 when Leymah Gbowee received a word from God to gather the women of Liberia to pray for peace in the middle of a terrible civil war it was just another step along the way of something that had already started. God had prepared her for this moment, and there was lots more growing to do.
After having 4 children from an abusive relationship Leymah did some study on working with trauma impacted groups. She’d followed the process she had been taught but noticed that the women never spoke much if there were men in the group, and that the brief time to share personal stories was never enough.
As she started to work with women only groups, on the first night they would do “Shedding the Weight”. The women sat in a circle and took it in turns to say things they had never told anyone else before. The circle would often go on to the early hours of the morning. Mothers learned things that their daughters had never told them about sexual assaults. Women learned why their neighbours were the way they were. With the acceptance and compassion of the group, women were now free to channel their energy into peacebuilding, even in very difficult circumstances. Women throughout the country banded together, and there was real change.
“Shedding the Weight”. There is a great blessing when you are listened to without being critiqued or corrected. There is a great blessing when you can share vulnerabilities and feelings of shame in a safe way. That is part of the way in which we support and build up each other.
