I was in São Paulo, and so my father invited me to go with him to a live TV program broadcast in the wee ours, in which he and my mother would participate. When I got to the studio, I made sure I sat next to the cameraman to avoid the cameras. From my seat, I just admired him... his boldness to speak about his faith, having nothing to lose, with Mom by his side exuding peace and gentleness to all who watched.

Suddenly, my father said something that caught me by surprise...

"My daughters have the same faith; they are women of God. Actually, one of them is here... Tell them, Cris!"

And what I feared happened: I was in the spotlight. I was on live TV - for the whole country to watch!

"Hi, Dad," I said with a smile. "Tell me, you, like you mother, also chose to be a woman of God, didn't you?" "Eh... well, I'm... I'm trying hard to be a woman of God..." - I felt myself blushing scarlet... "Are you or are you not a woman of God, Cris?" "Yes, I am!" At that moment, it was pretty clear that I was extremely embarrassed. I was feeling hot, especially in my face.

I never forgot that episode, because it was a moral lesson for me. Was I a woman of God or not? At the time, my perspective was very different from what it is now. I was newly married and still full of insecurities about myself; and so when my father put me on the same level as my mother, I immediately felt inferior.

Isn't it what many women do as well? Every time they compare themselves with more experienced women, they feel inferior.

It's not fair to compare yourself with anyone, let alone with more experienced people... If so, you will never see yourself as a woman of God! Today I understand this, and if asked whether or not I am a woman of God, I know how to answer without hesitation - not because now I am level with the women I admire, but because I am of God.

Cristiane Cardoso