Don’t Leave This Battle to Our Daughters Part 1

I want to talk about women — not as a voting bloc, not as a stereotype, and not as a political talking point — but as thinkers, leaders, and citizens. Women who understand that freedom isn’t something we inherit automatically. It is something we exercise, protect, and pass on.

There comes a moment in every generation when hesitation feels safer than action. When silence feels wiser than speaking. And when staying comfortable feels easier than stepping forward.

But history — and Scripture — remind us that the cost of hesitation is often far greater than the cost of courage.

Regarding history - Ladies, we need to be reminded that we didn’t always have the right to participate in the political process.

Just over a century ago, women secured the right to vote. That victory didn’t happen by accident. It grew out of deep moral conviction and spiritual grounding. Leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the Declaration of Sentiments in 1848, modeling it after the Declaration of Independence and boldly asserting that women were equal under the law and deserving of the vote.

These women were greatly influenced by the Second Great Awakening — a spiritual revival that stirred hearts and awakened moral responsibility across the nation. One of the platforms of that Spiritual Awakening was the abolition of slavery. This SECOND Great Awakening sparked a movement led by preachers who passionately advocated for abolitionism included Charles Grandison Finney,  Theodore Weld, and Henry Ward Beecher. These revivalists preached that slavery was a national sin and a moral failing. They pushed for immediate emancipation and social reform. 

Many of the women who began the suffrage movement were influenced greatly by the sermons of that time. Our kids aren’t reading that in the history books though, are they?  

Their fight against slavery sharpened their moral clarity, leading them to recognize that women too, are endowed with the right to participate in self-government and to live with dignity and purpose. They became convinced that equality was not merely political — it was a truth rooted in natural law, that was given to us by God. 

On May 21, 1919, Illinois Republican James Mann reintroduced the 19th Amendment in the House of Representatives. It passed with a decisive vote of 304 to 89. The partisan divide was striking - more than 200 Republicans supported it, while just 102 Democrats joined them.

A few weeks later, on June 4, 1919, the amendment passed the Senate by a vote of 56 to 25. Again, Republican support was far stronger, with 82% voting in favor, compared to only 41% of Democrats.

This was a landmark victory! Thanks in NO small part by Republicans. (Again – not taught in history classes any longer) It was the result of decades of perseverance and persistence by the women who started it all.  And yet even then, the women who began the fight didn’t live to see its completion. Susan B. Anthony wrote her friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1902 on Stanton’s 87th birthday; 

 “We little dreamed when we began this contest, optimistic with the hope and buoyancy of youth, that half a century later we would be compelled to leave the finish of the battle to another generation of women.”

Even knowing that they were leaving the final victory to another generation – they were satisfied that they had done all they could do.

But maybe some battles shouldn’t be left for the next generation. Maybe you and I are called to fight battles now with victory in mind to protect future generations. Even still we are called to act not because success is guaranteed, but because obedience is required.

Scripture demonstrates that same pattern.

Deborah stepped into leadership during uncertainty and called Israel into battle — and victory followed her obedience.

Jochebed, a mother under tyranny, refused to surrender her son to fear. She trusted God with a fragile plan, and that child became a deliverer.

Abigail acted with wisdom when her husband’s foolishness threatened her household — and she consequently prevented disaster.

Esther understood the danger she was putting herself in when going before the king without invitation. Even so,  she stepped forward because she recognized she had been placed WHERE she was WHEN she was - for a reason.

No doubt these women felt what we feel — that pull toward caution, that whisper to stay quiet and stay safe.

But they moved anyway.

In recent election cycles, women have been criticized, categorized, even shamed — told by the media and those on the left that if we do not vote a certain way, we are somehow betraying our gender. Identity politics attempts to define us before WE EVEN speak.

But women are not a monolith.

If the modern feminist movement truly values women, then it must respect women who think independently — women who pray, who study, who weigh issues carefully, and who arrive at their own conclusions. And for many of us – the desire to be led by the Holy Spirit.

Freedom requires that. Liberty must be exercised — or it will be lost.

And that responsibility now rests with us.

Not to be reckless or reactionary. But to be courageous.

Hesitation disguises itself as wisdom. Comfort disguises itself as peace.
But real peace does not come from controlling outcomes. It comes from trusting God with them. Future generations are shaped not only by what we do — but by what we refuse to do.

The women who came before us understood that influence is not meant to be stored. It is meant to be used. They endured ridicule, misrepresentation, and delay. They pressed forward anyway.

So the question is not whether women matter.

The question is whether we will use what we have been given. To think clearly, vote courageously and most importantly to speak with conviction even when it is unpopular.  And truly recognize how important our contribution is to the future of this country.

Because the next generation is watching. They will inherit what we build — and what we neglect.

This conversation doesn’t end with one voice—it grows when women come together, bringing their faith, their experiences, and their convictions to the table.