The Women We've Been Waiting For: A 40-Day Devotional for Self-Care, Resilience, and Communal Flourishing

# The Women We've Been Waiting For: A 40-Day Devotional

These days, society tells women they can buy self-care in a store or cross it off a to-do list.

In this 40-day devotional, Tiffany Bluhm invites women into a deeper, more meaningful understanding of self-care that includes faith, rest, joy, lament, collaboration, and empowerment. Bluhm shows how self-care is critical to women's spiritual growth and empowerment to make a difference in the world.

*The Women We've Been Waiting For* weaves together Scripture, liturgies, and stories of historical figures to show women that caring for themselves is the first step toward renewing their own souls and tackling the social problems they care most about. Bluhm draws from her own writing as well as guest contributions from a diverse group of ministers, authors, and activists. Each devotion invites readers to learn from women who have managed tension, survived the seemingly impossible, and embodied a resilient faith.

Readers will emerge from their 40-day journey with a more vibrant spirituality to fuel them in their everyday lives.

## Contents

Introduction
Part 1: Matriarchs of the Past  
1. Holy and Whole  
2. Last at the Cross  
3. Know Better, Do Better by Patricia Taylor  
4. Mothers of the Movement  
5. Dreams of the Matriarchs by Ashlee Eiland  
6. Birthright  
7. Healing  
8. Prayers of Our Mothers by Susie Gamez  

Part 2: Holy Endurance  
9. Advocates for Rest  
10. Lionhearted Liturgies  
11. Get in Formation by Nikole Lim  
12. Crafting Conditions of Care  
13. Lament to Heal  
14. A Culture of Belonging by Lucretia Carter Berry  
15. Your Beautiful Body  
16. Discernment  

Part 3: The Stories That Form Us  
17. Gentleness  
18. Reclaiming What's Been Lost  
19. Befriending Grief by Keisha Polonio  
20. Her Story  
21. The Stories We Tell Ourselves  
22. Waiting  
23. Who Is Pure? by Angie Kay Hong  
24. Despair and the Divine  

Part 4: Formation of the Soul  
25. Collateral Damage  
26. We Remember You by Ariana Altiery- Rivera  
27. Magnificent Refuge  
28. Navigating Burnout by Kayla Craig  
29. Righteous Defiance  
30. Steadfast Joy  
31. Carry One Another  
32. Bearing Witness  

Part 5: Future Liberation  
33. Arrival  
34. We Go High  
35. The Future Belongs to Us by Pricelis Perreaux- Dominguez  
36. Consent to Reality  
37. Hospitality amid Hostility  
38. Who Are We Becoming? by Sara Shaban  
39. Love Is the Final Fight  
40. Becoming a Non-anxious Presence  

## Endorsements

"Our collective flourishing requires a practice of solidarity, which is embodied within the very structure of this book. Tiffany invites us to celebrate historical figures and biblical matriarchs who inspire us as we wrestle with God, surrounded by the wisdom of our sisters. Individuals and communities will feel empowered as they learn from this collection of voices."  
— Sandra María Van Opstal, pastor, professor, and author of *The Next Worship*

"Immerse yourself in the stories, lives, and actions of biblical women and historical figures for healing, restoration, and flourishing. This devotional by Tiffany Bluhm is refreshing, nourishing, and empowering. Read and reflect on Bluhm's words for sustenance, self-care, and encouragement."  
— Grace Ji-Sun Kim, professor of theology, Earlham School of Religion; author of *When God Became White* and *Invisible*

"The Women We've Been Waiting For is a bold and beautiful reminder of all the women--in Scripture and beyond--who have gone before us. Through stories of those who exhibit both tender vulnerability and fierce strength, Bluhm and others invite us to ponder, to grieve, to celebrate, to hope, and to bring our full selves to the sacred table for the sake of our individual and collective flourishing."  
— Kat Armas, author of *Abuelita Faith* and host of *The Protagonistas* podcast

"Most of the women I know long for mothers and sisters who will walk with us, navigate challenges beside us, and offer us wisdom when we don't know which way is up. Luckily, Tiffany Bluhm and her coalition of powerhouse women have seen that longing and answered it with a round of introductions. As it turns out, the women we've been waiting for were around us--and within us--the whole time."  
— Shannon K. Evans, author of *Rewilding Motherhood*

## About the Author

Tiffany Bluhm is a speaker and writer with more than fifteen years of experience in ministry and nonprofit leadership. She is the author of *Never Alone: Exchanging Your Tender Hurts For God's Healing Grace*, *She Dreams: Live the Life You Were Created For*, and *Prey Tell: Why We Silence Women Who Tell the Truth and How Everyone Can Speak Up* and former cohost of the *Why Tho?* podcast. She speaks at conferences, companies, and churches around the world, and her work has been featured in *Publishers Weekly* and *Sojourners*. As a minority, immigrant woman with an interracial family, Bluhm is passionate about inviting all to the table of faith, equality, justice, and dignity. She lives in the Pacific Northwest of the USA.Read less