Ladies' Bible Study

This week I have been sharing insights from a Bible study I had been preparing to teach to the ladies at our church.

This morning I met with them. We opened God's word and discussed what we read. We wondered at it and savored our time in it. It was a sweet time.

I am amazed that God has given me this opportunity to lead these saints in a study of His Word.

The church we serve is mostly comprised of the generation of my grandparents and I find myself in awe of their faithfulness not just over years, but over decades and decades.

I love to sit at our potlucks -and not just to eat the yummy, homemade deliciousness that is contributed, but to ask questions and listen to a new-to-me tale of God's faithfulness to a believer that has been walking in faith since before I was born.

The first time we met to study, I was glad that the ladies waited until after we'd finished to begin talking about their ages. (You just think that women won't share exactly how old they are, but some of these sweet ladies proudly wear their ages like badges.) I found myself starting to feel intimidated when I realized that a high percentage of these ladies were at least double my age of 41 years.

What could I say that they hadn't heard before?
I should be attending a study that they were leading!
What must they think of me?
What can I offer them?
I am used to teaching teenagers and preschoolers!
How can I connect with these ladies whose life experiences seem so far from my own?

Some of the ladies are widows. Some of them have buried children. All of them have things that they could be teaching me . . .

As I prepared for our next study - the one we had this morning. I sensed the Lord just encouraging me to study His Word, to look into it to learn it myself. I didn't spend much time polishing my presentation, but felt led instead to just read and discuss the passage verse-by-verse. Then at the close of our time together, I shared the insights that the Holy Spirit had laid on my heart as I had been studying the passage.

The ladies asked questions. They shared their insights. They nodded in agreement. They thanked me for teaching.

As I drove away from the church building, I prayed thanking God for answering my prayers.

His Word was our common denominator. We all came with a desire to know it better to dig into it deeper. Our ages and backgrounds and life-experiences didn't matter as we opened the pages of our Bibles.

I want to be more like these ladies than I can express. To be walking with the Lord in such a way at such an age -to be still seeking and learning and growing in Him. After all, no matter our ages we are still on our own sanctification journey with our Lord. Until He calls each of us home or returns to take us there, He wants us to make these individual journeys together.

We will meet again next month and I can't wait!

Dear Sister Minister's Wife - I don't know the dynamics of the church you serve. But, by God's grace I pray you have the opportunity to really know the ladies of this generation in your congregation. I am thankful for these relationships I am making. I am thankful too that I can see God equipping me for serving this church family He has called us to. . .

I SO wanted to be a blessing to these ladies, but they are the ones who ended up blessing me!