We’re a Little Rough Around the Edges

I think it was 2018. I made the decision to teach a Bible study at our church. That’s where I met Lisa.

I hadn’t taught for several years so there were lots of options available to me.  In those years, God had been working; pruning and disciplining while also loving. I felt as if the Church had been in some ways neglecting the real life issues that women find themselves dealing with. Real life issues that even women in the Bible had dealt with. So when I discovered Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs I knew it was the perfect fit.

Each chapter was dedicated to a specific woman from scripture: Eve, Potiphar’s wife, Lot’s wife, the woman at the well, Delilah, Sapphira, Rahab, Jezebel, Michal, and the sinful woman. On the surface, we might be quick to say that we don’t have anything in common with most (if not all) of these women. But it didn’t take long to see that the truth was much closer than we wanted it to be.

I spent a few months preparing for the study and then it was time to launch to the group of participants who had signed up. A few of the women I knew. But most of them were new names and faces to me. It didn’t take any time at all for me to make a connection with Lisa. She was raw. Unapologetic. Rough on the edges. And I loved her. She was me (just a few years older). I determined very quickly that she would either “dive in head first” or “run for the hills”. There wouldn’t be any middle ground for Lisa.

Lisa had grown up in church. She knew Bible stories. But life threw a few punches at her along the way and she had her own way of fighting back. I found myself relating to Lisa’s story over and over. She had never encountered the Living Word. She knew about Jesus, but she didn’t KNOW Jesus. All of that was about to change.

We finished the Bible study and she was “hooked”. I’m pretty confident in saying that she participated in almost every Bible study we hosted after that. She challenged ideas and asked thought-provoking questions. She was discovering this treasure that had been available to her all along.

Now, seven years later, Lisa is still attending Bible studies. Lots of them. She’s seen God work miracles in her family (too many to count here). She loves learning. But most importantly, she knows and loves Jesus. Yesterday we attended a local women’s conference and next weekend she’s following me to Santa Claus, IN where I’ll be the keynote speaker at Santa Claus Christian Church. I only mention that to say, “Lisa is my ‘why'”.

This morning Kris preached on Luke 22:24-38 (we’ve been in the book of Luke for over a year now). Verse by verse are little nuggets bursting with wisdom and insight into the character of God. But this morning, verse 32 especially struck me. “….but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

God never gave up on me and He never will. But just like Peter, when I’ve turned around, I’m expected to strengthen my brothers (or sisters as it were). God hasn’t called me to speak or write to bring attention to myself. God has called me to speak and write because there are so many out there just like me who need to know who He is. They need to know Jesus.

Lisa and I are still pretty rough around the edges. I don’t think God will ever change that about us. But He’s in the business of redeeming; and when it comes to the two of us that’s a full-time job. He’s going to continue to refine; which is often painful. We could have our own chapter if Liz ever writes an updated version. For now, you can just find us asking and seeking; pulling others alongside as we go. Lisa, thanks for the reminder and being my “why”.

Luke 22:32 ~ Jesus said, “……..but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers”.