I remember when our children were little. I longed for an older woman to come alongside to encourage and counsel me. But we were a young church full of young families. (Now I, and a whole bunch more of us, are the older women.) In the absence of women that I could actually sit down and chat with over a cup of tea, I made my tea and sat down with books — books by godly older women like Edith Schaeffer and Elisabeth Elliot, books like The Hidden Art of Homemaking, Discipline: The Glad Surrender, The Shaping of a Christian Family, Let Me Be a Woman, and What Is a Family? The godly wisdom and creativity of these two women profoundly shaped my life as a wife and mother.
I also read biographies of women like Susannah Wesley (and named our last daughter after her), Corrie Ten Boom, and Gladys Aylward. I vicariously walked through life with these women, watching them struggle, watching them trust, watching them lay down their lives for others.
Last, but certainly not least, I studied women in the Bible. What a gathering of amazing, godly-but-still-human women we can follow after in the pages of Scripture! Sarah, Mary the mother of Jesus, Elizabeth, Hannah, Ruth, Deborah, Mary and Martha, Jael, Esther, Rachel, Abigail, and many others set powerful examples for us to imitate.
Paul, in Romans 15:4, tells us, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
In the lives of godly men and women, and in the historical accounts of the Bible, we can find instruction, encouragement, and hope. God was faithful then; He is still faithful now. God has used weak and imperfect people to accomplish His purposes before; He will still make his power perfect even in my weakness. That encourages and comforts me.
Could you use some encouragement? Do you have days (weeks? months?) when you feel too weak, too discouraged, too scared, or just too tired to be used by God?
Join me Tuesday, November 1, when we start our new Busy Mamas Bible Study, looking at an Old Testament narrative for the first time in our studies together! As we study 1 Samuel 25, we’re going to take a close look at David, strong against the temptation to strike out against Saul who was seeking to kill him, but angry and vengeful when insulted by a rude and wealthy rancher. We’re going to watch beautiful Abigail, married to Nabal-the-rancher, in action as she faces the impending destruction of her entire household at the hand of Israel’s future king. We’re going to see God use her in ways she never could have anticipated!
Every day for all the month of November, you can receive two free lessons in your inbox — one for you and one to do with your children, if you choose. Each lesson is designed to complete in 5-15 minutes. Those short periods of time will add up! In thirty days, if you study fifteen minutes a day, you will spend 7-1/2 hours on just one chapter of the Bible! Who says busy mothers can’t do in-depth Bible study? 🙂
If you would like to join us, be sure you’re subscribed to the blog so you can have the lessons waiting in your inbox every morning! And, if you would like to interact with others who are doing the study, you can also join our “Busy Mamas” Facebook group. This is a meeting place where you can post your comments, your questions, pictures and videos of your kids’ projects, other suggested study helps — whatever you think will help us all in our study.
You’ll need a Bible, some colored pencils, and a notebook. If this is your first time joining us for a study, take a few minutes to read this post. It will help you know what to expect and how to prepare.
Then be ready to join us on Tuesday! We’re going to have a great time looking into the Word together!
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