A Female Judge?

“We never hear sermons pointing women to the heroic virtues of Deborah as worthy of their imitation. Nothing is said in the pulpit to rouse them from the apathy of ages, to inspire them to do and dare great things, to intellectual and spiritual achievements, in real communion with the Great Spirit of the Universe. Oh, no! The lessons doled out to women, from the canon law, the Bible, the prayer-books and the catechisms, are meekness and self-abnegation; ever with covered heads (a badge of servitude) to do some humble service for man.” -Elizabeth Cady Stanton

I did not set out to be some sort of role model for women. There are plenty of people who would have liked to see me put my head down and keep my mouth shut, just go with the flow and not strive for anything different. But as Rose Salberg Kam says in Their Stories, Our Stories, "Men may choose to deny women's gifts, but Yahweh does not." God called me to serve him, not only as a judge, but also as a prophet and a military adviser. Believe me, this is not the road I would have chosen for myself. I'm the first female judge, and there weren't too many females preceding me in the role of prophet or military adviser either. I had to completely rely on God's strength to sustain and guide me. If it were up to me, I would have stuck to something a little more run-of-the-mill, but I no I had no choice but to obey Yahweh.

The BBC recently had an article on its website entitled: "Why are there so few women judges?" In England, the article explains, only 7% of judges in the High Court or beyond are female. The author expresses astonishment at this state of affairs, considering women have been practicing law there for 80 years. This statistic does not surprise me in the least, but I do think it sheds light on my own story. As hard as it is for judges today, imagine what it must have been like for me starting out. I don't mean to have a pity party by any means, only to again point out God's sovereignty throughout the course of my life.