It is Women’s History Month, a month declared so that we can recognize the contributions of women to society, to their countries, to the world. Of course, I think it’s important to recognize the contributions of women all year long, but in honor of Women’s History Month, I decided to share with you the brief stories of five women who I think made an impact in their time. They have not been more so than other women in history – there have been thousands of women all over the world who have made their mark – but these five have unique qualities that resonate with me. These five women have used their minds and their voices to make a difference.

“Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

- Mordecai to Esther (Esther 4:14)

Queen Esther is one of my favorite Bible characters of all time. She is a young Jewish woman who is forced to become a part of the Persian king Ahasuerus’ harem. He favors her over the other woman and makes her his queen. Her cousin Mordecai alerts her to the threat of Haman, the king’s trusted advisor, who makes a decree to kill all of the Jews in the empire just because Mordecai won’t bow down to him. In a pivotal scene in the book of Esther, the young queen is afraid of going before the king as she is not allowed to approach his throne unless she is summoned or she would be killed. Yet Mordecai tells her that she will not be able to escape death just because she is living in the palace. He tells her, “Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, ESV). Esther is the only book in the Bible where God’s name is not mentioned, but because of their faith, it is heavily implied that Mordecai believed God had put Esther in this position to save the Jews. This gives Esther the courage she needs to go to the king and request that he and Haman join her for a banquet. At a second feast, she tells Ahasuerus that a man has decreed to destroy her people and points to Haman as the culprit. Her courage saves her people as they are given all that they need to defend themselves. What I love about Esther is that she trusted in God’s plan to save her people. This faith gave her the courage to break down the boundaries that she was not allowed to cross and to save her people from a devastating fate.

“I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.”

- Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I is one of the most famous monarchs of England because of her independence, perseverance, strength of will, and intelligence. She was born to King Henry VIII (known for his controversial separation from the Roman Catholic Church and his six marriages) and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Because Henry had divorced his first wife to marry Anne, Elizabeth was considered to be almost an illegitimate child. Her mother, unable to produce a male heir to the throne, was later accused of infidelity and executed. While Elizabeth grew up well educated for a woman of her time, her problems continued, for both reasons of sex and religion. After her father’s death, she was sent to live with her step-mother and her new husband, who sexually harassed her continuously. Her older half-sister Mary became queen of England and being a devout Catholic, was hostile towards Elizabeth and condemned her Protestant upbringing. Mary had many Protestants persecuted and killed during her reign (hence her nickname ‘Bloody Mary’). Elizabeth herself was imprisoned under the fear that she was a threat to Mary’s throne. After her sister’s death, the 25-year-old Elizabeth became queen and instead of getting married right away to make sure she was in a stronger position, she determined to rule the country alone (which wasn’t surprising considering her father’s interesting and failed romantic life). She loved her country and her subjects, and although she had her flaws, she strove to create an environment of religious freedom. She was determined, hardworking, and brave in the face of all the criticisms and dangers that came her way. She worked harder than any king to make England a better place for her people.

“One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving.

- Amy Carmichael

Many of you may never have heard of Amy Carmichael. She is the least known of the five women here. She was an Irish Protestant missionary in India who devoted her life to helping girls and women during the early 1900’s. Amy founded the Dohnaver Fellowship for an orphanage. Girls who were used as temple prostitutes were helped to escape and begin a new life under her care. They were drawn to Amy Carmichael because of her love for them. She was willing to assimilate into the culture in order to relate to the Indians around her. She wore Indian clothing and often had members of the organization do the same. Amy would go to extreme lengths to rescue every child she could. She suffered a fall that injured her badly, but continued to inspire through her writing. To the children she loved, she was known as “Amma” which means “mother”. She was a mother to every person who entered her orphanage and while she is not known to most people, she has been a great influence to many Protestant Christian missionaries since her time. She exemplified courage and compassion through her sacrificial and loving heart.

“Even if I died in the service of the nation, I would be proud of it. Every drop of my blood... will contribute to the growth of this nation and to make it strong and dynamic.”

- Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi was the daughter of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. She was the first woman to become Prime Minister in India and is the only woman to have done so to date. She was a strong leader who cared about the country. She brought change to agricultural programs to help the poor. She welcomed Pakistani refugees into the country during the Indo-Pakistani War and started the Green Revolution movement to address the food shortages that affected poor farmers. Gandhi surprised many with her strong ability to lead during the 1960’s until the 1980’s. While she can be an inspiration for many women who aspire to be leaders, it is important to recognize that she was flawed. There were suspicions of corruption in her congress and government. She also attempted to repress the Sikh separatist movement in India by ordering the army to storm a Sikh temple. This led to her death in 1984, when two of her Sikh bodyguards assassinated her. Still, Indira Gandhi must be recognized for her courage, perseverance, and strength in leadership.

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”

- Malala Yousafzai

I have lot of respect for Malala Yousafzai, who is only a few months younger than myself. Malala grew up with her family in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. The Taliban began to take control and the people of the Swat found themselves caught between the Taliban and the military. Malala’s father ran a school and was a huge proponent of girls getting an education. Malala herself loved school and was most of the time at the top of her class. Her father encouraged her to lend her voice to the cause and she became more outspoken about girls’ rights to education. She was awarded Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize in 2011 and was recognized for her advocacy of girls’ education. In October 2012, when she was fifteen years old, Malala was shot on her school bus by a Taliban gunman, an event that sparked outrage all over the world. She survived the assassination attack, which did not stop her from speaking out even more. She spoke at the headquarters of the United Nations on her sixteenth birthday, calling for the access to education and for support. Malala is currently the youngest person to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize, a feat she accomplished in 2014 at the age of seventeen. She is the founder of the Malala Fund, a non-profit organization created to help children get an education in areas where it is very difficult for them to do so. She is continuously making history for her courage and wisdom.

There are so many women from all over the world that I could spend all week writing about – Queen Victoria, Florence Nightingale, Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, and more. There are women who I’ve never heard of yet who I can learn about. I challenge all of you to read up about influential women – even those who are underrated or even relatively unknown. What really drew me to these five women is that they did not need to use physical strength to reap change – they used their inner strength. I believe that even now, that is how all women can make a difference – with our minds and our voices.