Last night was the last meeting of the women's Bible study I have been doing with my church, Hardin Baptist. I started this Bible study in the fall, hoping to dig into the Old Testament for the first time. I had heard wonderful thing about the Kay Arthur Precept studies, and 6:30-8 on Tuesday nights was reasonably do-able for me. I remember walking into that house for the first time, being very nervous because I knew NONE of these women, and was not sure I would have all that much to connect with them about aside from Jesus.
Well, I did dig in to the OT. In fact, I fell in love! Hearing the vivid language used to describe Israel's constant and consistently subtle rebellion of the God who led them out of Egypt entrapped me. I have such admiration for the leader Joshua, and am far more deeply and intimately connected to His God. I understand that ours is a generation in which, "everyone does what was right in his own eyes." and Judges clearly described to me the outcomes of this circumstance. I will continue to dig more deeply into these first books of the Bible, and to find Christ as Savior all the more necessary because of them.
That being said, I want to explain that this is not the majority of what I learned from these studies. Sitting under the example and wisdom of these women has been truly life altering. Hearing stories of how to discipline, explain the gospel to, and live faith out in front of children has been truly eye-opening. What is more, these women got REAL. They didn't sugar coat for me their perfect little lives with their families. They simply discussed their God, and how He is the central issue in all of these things. Their perspective on everything from drinking alcohol, to the upcoming political election has presented to me thoughts that my 20-something peers often do not have the life experience to come up with.
Last night we were working on a project for the upcoming women's conference at the church. As we were gluing, taping, and cutting, we were also talking. And here is what I learned:
Sewing is not a lost art. In fact, it may just be something that I should take personal responsibility to develop in. It seemed to me that all of these women were at least somewhat fluent in a language I have never heard. And what a useful one at that!
It truly does take a village. I told one of the ladies that I had heard her daughter share her testimony that week at a youth meeting, saying how neat it was to hear her story and what an impact she had had. She humbly responded that she had, "lots of help" and listed off names, a few of which were a part of this Bible study as well. Her daughter (who, I believe, also sews) is now married, and is pregnant with twins.
Men ARE different from women, and as wives....there are a lot of creative ways you can embrace this.
Most of all, I learned that you should have people whose lives intertwine with yours in a big way. NOT just spiritually. These women are friends, prayer warriors, mothers, wives, and daughters of the King of Kings......and they are all of these things TOGETHER! They can remember when the other women's children were born, and tell stories of their lives together.
Titus 2 tells us that, "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior , not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." More simply.....they are to teach.
Lord,
Thank you for these women. Thank you that they do as you tell them to do. May I fight to always have others like them in my life. And thank you that you have brought them to a point where they are willing and able to TEACH.
Amen
