July 21, 2026 - Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, July 21.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike. I’m not even going to bother asking if that woman’s name rings a bell. But on July 21, 1960, “Siri” accomplished something that had never been done in the history of the world. She became the first female elected as the leader of a country (the island nation of Sri Lanka). In the 66 years since, over one hundred other countries have followed suit - including major nations like Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, India, and England. Only one major country is not on this long list. Ring any bells?
American women were granted the vote in 1920, over a century ago, but there has yet to be a female Chief Executive. Yet to be a Mrs. President (or a First Gentleman). Why? Well, that’s a difficult question and a challenging discussion - a discussion that we will NOT be having in the Daily Devotion!
But we can discuss another male dominated institution. The Holy Bible. 66 books, 66 male authors. The stories and the history overwhelmingly focused on men. The few famous women are almost always attached to a more famous man, connected as a wife or as a mother. But there are exceptions, and one notable one is the Old Testament judge named Deborah. She was married, but her husband barely gets a passing mention... in her story.
And what a story it is. The Era of the Judges occurred about a thousand years before Bethlehem. The judges, then, were more than deciders of legal disputes. They were more like, well, presidents. Deborah’s “administration” came during a troubled time, as Israel was occupied by an abusive foreign power. She went to her general and ordered him to lead his soldiers to attack this enemy. He said he would only do it if she went with him. She agreed, but warned him that when his army was victorious, she would be the one getting the credit! Israel did win the victory and went on to enjoy 40 years of peace under Deborah’s leadership.
A woman of wisdom. A woman of vision. A woman of courage. A woman who made a difference. My youngest sister was named after her... and she made a difference too.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
