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...neither do I condemn you

The depiction of the Adulterous Woman

The adulterous woman fascinates me
Not because I am planning to commit adultery when I am married
But because of Jesus' response to the woman.

When I got born again, every little thing made me feel condemned
I was raped/harassed; not quite sure how to qualify it.
Christians were the first to turn against me, then followed the unbelievers
I didn't quite fit anywhere again.

With the Christians I wasn't a good girl anymore
With the unbelievers, I wasn't a bad girl either, it was pretty obvious
So I was always confused, didn't know how to behave especially when all I wanted
to do was bury my head in the sand.

So I kind of identify with the adulterous woman. Mind you, they never said she was a prostitute, she was a woman who was sleeping with another man. I can imagine the elders dragging her and pulling off her clothes, gathering the stones they would use to stone her.

They were not wrong to want to stone her because according to Jewish religion, you better stone that woman before God puts the entire Israel under a curse. Where they went wrong is imagining that people would believe that the woman was sleeping with herself.

Where was the man?
Why was he let off the hook?
Why should this pretty woman be the only one stoned?
Wouldn't the guy bring a curse on Israel also?

Well I thank God they brought her to Jesus because Jesus always has the answers. He did not leave the woman to the law to deal with. Instead he offered her grace even though he hadn't been to the cross yet, he had the ability to forgive her and he did.

What amazes me is that the elder to the younger of the Pharisees by not stoning the adulterous woman admitted to their guilt but did not stay to receive forgiveness from Jesus, they were just too eager to either be right or wrong.

What am I saying writing?

Don't be so hasty to meet with Jesus that all you want to do is prove a point; receive His grace and forgiveness, it is available for you. You are qualified for the blessing because Jesus died on the cross.

Righteousness: His right standing in us qualifies us to stand before God justified. Jesus has declared me not guilty, he can do the same for you.

A Woman Consumed

Mary Magdalene was a woman possessed by seven demons the Bible says but none of that mattered after she had an encounter with Jesus Christ. Do you hear that? This is what I come to share here today. Like her, your past does not matter. She might have done all manner of nonsense and been consumed by all manner of evil torment, the moment she met Jesus Christ, the only thing that consumed this woman was her total and complete devotion and love for him.

Today, God told me to forget what's behind. He told me to forget what I did, what they did, what he did , what she did or didn't do! He told me to stop being consumed by all that. I believe he has the same message for you too. That is why you stopped by here today. Please stop crying over spilt milk. Stop going back to your garbage. Stop being consumed by your shame, pain and regret! Ask Jesus Christ to touch you and deliver you. Ask for a fresh encounter with him so that the only thing that will consume you, from now on,  will be your love for God.

You see, I thought I knew all there was to know about Mary Magdalene but as I read God's word today, intent on hearing 'my word', I realised I had missed much about her. I am just grateful God opened my eyes and heart to see deeper into this woman. As I read about her in the days after Jesus Christ died, I sensed that God wants me to be like Mary Magdalene after she met Jesus Christ. Yes, He wants me. He wants you to become a woman consumed.  

How? Let me share it as I heard it:

As a woman consumed, once you have an encounter with Jesus Christ, your life cannot be the same as it used to be. You leave your old self and your past behind. Scripture never really tells us much about Mary Magdalene's life before she met Christ. Why? Cos her past did not matter to God anymore. If my past does not matter to God, why let it bug me or drag me down? Today, step over that line and leave the old you behind!

As a woman consumed, Jesus Christ has delivered you and given you  a new life of peace and wholeness just like he did for Mary Magdalene. If you don't feel it, ask him for it now. He loves you and is just waiting for you to ask him! That, my dear, is the whole point of this  wonderful Easter season we are celebrating. So please, go to him today and just off load it all. Give him all your junk and pick up all the blessings he bought for you on the Cross! 

As a woman consumed, you will provide for God's work out of your personal substance. The Bible says that Mary Magdalene was 'among many others who provided for Him for their substance'. We too must begin to give more of our personal resources in support of God's work. Ask God to show you how and when he does, obey cheerfully. And remember, your resources is not just about money. Your time, your talents, your gifts....these are all part of your 'personal resources' my dear one.

As a woman consumed, you follow Jesus Christ closely. all the days of your life. Go read it up. Mary Magdalene was one of the women who followed Christ almost as closely as the disciples back then. Even after he died, she was right there waiting to take care of the One she loved so much, waiting to honour him by anointing his body with oils and spices. In the end, she is the one that is honoured as she makes history by being the first person to see the risen Christ!  How awesome is that for a former demon-possessed woman?

Do you see it now? When you are consumed by God, God elevates you and takes you to places you never thought possible. And the best part is that he does this regardless of  how murky the waters of your past look like. So what are you waiting for? Refuse to be shackled by your past! Break free! Free to be consumed by just one thing: Your love for Jesus Christ and his work here on earth!

Happy Easter fine women (and men) of God.

Remember, because Jesus lives, you can! 

Introducing..., THE SCENT OF WATER by Sinmisola Ogunyinka

Please check out some reviews on Amazon.

Introducing Sinmisola Ogunyinka, an Inspirational Author. To get her books and many more of Sinmisola Ogunyinka's books, please visit Amazon or her website. 

The Scent of Water is a dreamy book that will leave you with a goody-goody feeling after you turn last page. A well-written, well-thought out  Nigerian Inspirational romance, pretty much like a blast of cool fresh water on a hot sunny day. 

The story: Scent of Water, set in Calabar and Lagos, captured the life of a single young lady and an inmate in a federal prison. What started as a dream and a deep conviction to follow through with the dream, after she saw a physical manifestation of it, turned into a pursuit of love and destiny. Unlike most romance novels that set up an eligible or available bachelor with a Spinster, what sets this novel apart from the norm is that we cannot immediately romanticize the idea of a God-loving beautiful woman and a thin, underfed scraggly looking criminal. He unfortunately is our hero and that debunks the idea of the gooey goody feeling inside. Nobody wants a prisoner as a romantic hero.

 That exactly is what will draw you in. You will be hungry to see the transformation of this condemned criminal; physically, morally and spiritually. How would he change and would we accept the change? Would it be believable enough for us? Would he eventually fit into the romantic stereotype? Then the question of how he got into the prison and why the heroine, Esam, had the dream the way she did would be uppermost in our minds. 

Esam had a dream about a condemned prisoner. It was so vivid it startled her out of sleep. She dismissed it as just a dream until she saw a replay of the same dream, the same person she saw in the dream, the hero, Mike Dabi, on network television. There and then she knew it was no ordinary dream. She was on a quest to find the meaning of her dream and how it became connected with this stranger in the prison. That conviction was what drove her to meet with Mike Dabi, the prisoner and our eventual tall, dark and handsome hero.

What you will love about the plot is the uncertainties in the beginning, several cliffhangers in the middle and of course an amicable end. The twists and turns came with Mike's past as a chronic unbeliever, a convicted murderer, drunk-driver and a one-time millionaire with a gold-digging wife. Esam's past as a faithful child of God full of zeal, a widow who was traded off in marriage to a man twice her age, raped several times by her step-son and unable to bear children. Sinmisola brought these two characters together in a clever way.

There's nothing in the snippet below to set off a romantic rendezvous:

“You are in God’s agenda. I know; that’s why he sent me to you. He wants to deliver you…”

“Who do you think you are?” He stood up slowly, glaring at her.

“I saw you in my dream. God revealed you to me. He wants to help you. He loves you… ,” she said, pleadingly looking at him.

“Stop it!” he screamed, covering his ears. “I don’t want to hear about your God.”

“Sit down, 1106.” The warden stood up and started toward them.

“Get out of here before I kill you, and don’t ever come back!” Mike banged on the table. The warden reached him and slapped handcuffs on his wrists, pushing him away.

“Please, please give God a chance.” Esam broke down and wept as the prisoner was led away.

As you can see, there can be no sparks, physical contact or candle-lit dinners. So what exactly can bring these two together? A dream. That's what. Sinmisola cleverly crafted scenarios upon scenarios where we are unable to tell the outcome of the story. The intrigue of money laundering, the Nigerian justice system, betrayals, lusts, greed, men and women who preyed on their spouses and family for the sake of money; against a godly family who live daily by faith, who believe in the power of prayer, who are full of integrity, hope and love for their fellow mankind.

The only issue with the plot was the information dump in the middle when Esam's twin sister was on an investigative mission to Ilesa. It was good geography of the western parts of the country but it was a tad long and felt it was not absolutely necessary to the plot nor did it move the plot forward in any way.

The Style/Voice: This is where we believe Sinmisola will be set apart from many contemporary African Inspirational writers. She has this uncanny ability to delve deep into the emotions of her characters, skillfully connect with her readers and reveal them to us. She has used her writing skill to opt out of the Authorial intrusion and engage us scene after scene rather than narrate the story in a lifeless way. Her delivery of the scenes are apt and remarkable. 

As she moved slowly from Mike and Esam's first tense meeting, as showcased above, to the softening of their hearts towards each other, we are carried along every step of the way. She employed the right words and body language to convey their emotions and really, you will feel every emotion the characters felt. Her command of the English language is commendable. 

She has a unique voice in not shying away from the good, the bad and the downright gory episodes in the life of her characters. She is bold and assertive in her writing and presentation. She made a clear distinction between the way she presented the hero and heroine through their dialogue, attitude and body language.

Her prowess lies in creating a dreamy but realistic romantic atmosphere, with the sensitivity of our Christian faith, without being graphic. She knew where to put a full stop to suggestive scenes. That is the challenge a lot of Christian Inspirational writers face; how to write romance without being too explicit in the love scenes that would make you squirm. It also was not full of verbose language or adverbs, common to most romance novel, that merely force you to feel the emotions. And my most favorite part of it is when the emotional walls broke down between the two of them. The Epilogue was apt and fitting.

The Message: The message of hope, grace, forgiveness, love and redemption is at the core of this book. How does a condemned prisoner end up not just regaining his freedom but getting back all he lost, acquitted from a life sentence for a crime he did not consciously commit, being forgiven by God and accepted into God's intimate circle. Plus, falling in love with a virtuous and godly woman. The answer is GRACE. There is nobody that God cannot redeem, no matter your past. You are not gone past redemption.

Please grab a copy of her book from Amazon and Debonair bookstore, Lagos.

You can get her books from Amazon or visit her website to learn more about her.

DIARY of a DESPERATE NAIJA WOMAN in the year 2011 by Bola Essien-Nelson

The latest 'DIARY OF A DESPERATE NAIJA WOMAN' by Bola Essien-Nelson is out and on sale at Laterna Bookstore and Terra Kulture.

Hurry, go get your copy of this special, photo-laden and last edition of the DDNW. Please support a sister and get a copy. It's just N3,500.

Visit her blog: DDNW

Respecting Jael (Judges 4:17-23 & 5:24-27)

I don’t know about you but I never really thought much of Jael. I did not hate her but I was not crazy about her either. I am not sure why but I just was unable to wrap my mind around how a woman could drive a tent peg through another human being’s skull. I mean, enemy or no enemy, was that not a tad ‘too gory’? Could she not have accomplished the same goal in a more ‘humane’ manner, I would always ask God each time I read that part of Judges 4. But yesterday, at the Return of the Helper (‘ROTH’) 2012 Conference, I stopped questionning what Jael did and why.

And I began to respect her.

I now respect Jael because I realise that she is a woman to be reckoned with even if we never hear of her again after Judges 5. As you and I know, she was pivotal to Deborah and Barak’s success and Israel’s victory as it was by her hand that Sisera met his waterloo so to speak. As awesome a feat as that was, that is not what now draws me to her. It is the fact that for Jael to have done what she did, she must have been on top of what was going on around her. The Message bible refers to her as a ‘home-making woman’ so this tells me she was a stay at home mom yet she was not oblivious to the happenings around her. She did not spend all day watching E News and the Food Channel (like me). She also watched SkyNews and read the daily papers. If for nothing else, to guide her prayers.  And on this day when she prayed God must have told her he had an assignment for her. And when the time came for her to act, she acted. She did not waste time thinking “Who me? Little old, plain old, insignificant, stay-at-home mom that I am, can I possibly do this great thing for my nation?

Like many of us think today. I am too young, too old, too poor, too tall, too short, too skinny, too fat, don’t have enough of this or have too much of that, not smart enough, not cool enough, not fine enough. not enough connections and on and on our list goes. 

But the truth I believe Jael is showing us that is that we are ‘just enough’ for God to do whatever he has called us to do right there where we are. All that we need to do for God is already inside of us.  All we have been through is part of God’s ordained plan to equip us to do for him. I don’t know for sure but I am guessing this was not the first time Jael was using a tent peg and a hammer.  It takes some measure of skill I would think to drive a tent peg through someone’s skull like that. I want to believe that it was something she did often and I am sure she thought it was boring some days. Perhaps she felt it was just a mundane skill. But that mundane, ‘ordinary’ skill is what led to her being immortalised in Bible history today. How many other women do you know have their names written into a bible hit song? Check out the lyrics of the track that Deborah and Barak released to celebrate Israel’s victory (Judges 5:24-27) and you will see how come I now respect Jael.

Let us put skill and talent apart in this matter. I still find it difficult to believe that Jael could have done what she did in her own strength. The human skull was not designed to be easily cracked. This woman must have had some ‘higher power’ coursing through her arm to drive that peg right through Sisera's head and into the ground! That power, as I see it, could be no other than the power of God. What am I saying? If God sends you on an assignment, HE will empower you to do it.  So we need to stop second-guessing ourselves and just go and do as God as sent us to do.It's not about you. It's about the God in you.

Jael was a woman living ready to fulfill her assignment. Are you? How many ‘Siseras’ have you let get away because you felt you did not have the skills to ‘kill’ them? Or worse still, how many ‘little foxes, little enemies’ are you still allowing to sleep in your life when you should be ‘driving the tent peg down’ on them? Why are you still refusing to be decisive about that situation in your life? So you have been nice to him/her, given him/her milk to drink. That’s nice but the enemy is still the enemy. Deal with the situation! Or it will deal with you.

Can you imagine if Jael had lightly tapped that tent peg on Sisera’s temple? Hmm, the man would have woken up and strangled her dead! Yet, we go around trying to handle the devil and his vices with kid’s gloves. We need to be decisive about this walk of ours. We need to be like Jael and drive the tent peg down hard and kill off anything keeping us from living our lives as authentic, purpose-driven and fulfilling, Christian women.

I did not stay for the entire ROTH 2012 conference as I had to leave early but I am so glad for the thirty minutes I was able to spend there. It was well worth it and I brag on God for its organisers for now I not only like and understand Jael...

I respect her deeply.

 
(c) the dnw

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The faith of Hannah

I want to talk a little bit about the mother of Samuel.

She is such a courageous woman to be able to do the kind of things that she did in the bible. I cannot imagine waiting years and years for a child and then submitting that same child to God. She must have loved God greatly so much that the desire of her heart was no longer for a child. In those months she had her son, she must have come to know God so well.

I am in a place where i want to expand the way i think about God, i want to increase in my trust and in my faith in Him. I want a refreshing faith, my faith has long been be-laboured (if that is a word). Hannah is such a strong woman of God. Sarah too, i fear that sometimes i fail in my expectation in being a daughter of Sarah, a woman who believes God extremely.

Lord, help me to trust you for good gifts, help me to entrust these gifts into your hand and help me to walk with you per second per second to accomplish your goal for my life.

I admire the courage of Hannah and i thank the Father that with the faith of Jesus i can do more than all this women of old. I thank God for grace to be able to believe and hope and trust God more. Ciao! 

The Woman the Earth Helped

 

I am happy to be here today. I have not posted anything on Faithdames for a while now and I did not plan to do so today. But about 20 mins ago, I had this huge burden for ‘a woman’. Some woman out there, who like the woman in the Book of Revelation, is travailing in labour about to bring forth a child. I sense this might not be about birth in the pure physical sense of it. It is about bringing forth the fruit that God has placed on the inside of her. She, like the woman the Bible described as ‘a wonder in heaven’, is the target of ‘a beast’ of some sort. Something or someone or some situation does not want her to bring forth. I asked my PapaGod who this was and how he wanted me to get his message to her. 'Faithdames' dropped quietly in my spirit. Post it there. She will see it . She will read it and she will know that it is going to be just fine.

Because the Earth will help her. Do you hear me, dear one out there groaning in pain, not knowing where your help will come from? Your God says he will send forth a divine command and all that is needed for you will come forth. Even if the earth itself has got to open up its mouth and swallow up some people. It will. Because God will make it happen. You do not believe me? Please take out some time now and Read the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelations. Not only did God command the earth in her favour, earlier on, he had given her wings like an eagle to fly high above her situation, her obstacles, her foes. Just like he is about to do for you.

I know that the woman in the book of Revelation is a symbol for Israel and her child is Christ but that is why I love the Bible. No matter the grand, theological, future meaning, I can apply it to my life today. Please apply it to yours dear Faithdame. OK?

As a daughter of the most High, you are robed in the sun and you have the moon under your feet. Your head bears a crown of stars which means you are completely surrounded by heavenly lights! God’s favour shines upon you day and night. True, you labour sometimes and true, you bear much pain, but that is just because it takes hard work to produce an important result. God has planted something important in you and will bring it forth no matter how impossible it looks to you now. Do not be discouraged. Do not give up. Look at what Jesus went through. Pain and plenty of it.  Now look where he is today. In glory, reigning victoriously having accomplished his God-ordained destiny.

This too shall be your testimony.

Because the God all of the Earth is going to command the earth to open up its mouth to help you.  




The DNW

52 and more...

Esther...

I imagine myself being Esther. I used to think it was easy being Esther doing the will of God but as i read the book again, i imagine myself in a foreign land. away from everyone you trust. A new friend of mine says that she does not want to go far away because she does not want to be away from people. I think of the fact that i have never really gone far away from home but then it was not her choice, Israel had betrayed God one too many times. 

I imagine being a girl of 18 in a strange land and this fierce king whom we have heard of, who has conquered Ethiopia  China, Arabia is looking for a new queen, says his previous queen has disgraced him and a 1000 of us young ones are going to have a chance to be the new queen. I really don't want to be married to a heathen but Mordecai my father's brother who has cared for me for as long as i remember counsels me to go ahead with it. God is mad at us (Israelites) we have spent years under king after king steadily disobeying God and now he has led us into captivity, prophecy says after about 700 years or so we will return to Jerusalem but as far as i can remember we have been in this heathen land and it is so hostile my knees quake but Jehovah keeps me standing.

I imagine myself preparing myself for the king, my face, lips, fingertips, hips, legs, thighs, all of me is attended in preparation for the king. Those twelve months, all i think about day and night is the king and how i will please him, i listen carefully as Memucan (a eunuch) tells me of the king. He tells me of his likes/dislikes, his favorite food, games, his habits, what he likes to talk about, i am being trained by royalty to please royalty. I wait in fear and anticipation for my night with the king. I watch as many girls go in excited and come out crying as  they had not pleased the king well enough; but they are to spend the rest of the years as the king's concubine. As i watch, i pray because i know many of the girls are far more beautiful and far smarter than i am, some caught the king's whim for a time but could not hold it, i wonder what i will do.

The night i went to the king, i hardly remember because it was all a haze, all i know is that i did not ask for anything that Memucan did not send to me and i obtained favor in the sight of all who looked upon me. The king loved me,he loved me above 999 other women who had been specially prepared so only Jehovah could have distinguished me so. I received grace and favor from him. I became queen in a foreign land but it was known to no one because Mordecai had said i should disclose my race to no one. One day Mordecai saved the king, two men had plotted to assassinate the king but Mordecai had discovered this and the king was spared.

Until along came proud Haman who loved be worshiped and fawned over, he had the worship of everyone except Mordecai. God had told us through Moses at Mount Sinai that we must not worship any other God but Him and even in a foreign land, we obeyed. Mordecai stood out for this but instead of being rewarded, it brought persecution, Haman would not have it.

He plotted the killing of our entire race and Mordecai to be killed in the gallows at his house. Mordecai came to me and informed me that it is possible that this is the hand of God that God may be wanting 'me' to stand so the Jews could be saved.

But no one knew i was a Jew and Mordecai would not tell if i demanded it of him, but then the other side of my desire to save myself, all the Jews would be destroyed but God had left us all of these days, it could just be one more tragedy, what difference would saving their lives mean?


Point: Esther stood at the time God needed her to, she taught her maids to pray, she influenced the people around her. There was no 'slouching' when she had to go to Xerxes to speak for her people and yet she wasn't quick to speak. In the end, it was God who woke King Xerxes at night and reminded him of what Mordecai had done years ago in saving the King. That means that Mordecai did not think the King ought to die for coming to take them as exiles from Israel to be slaves in a foreign land.
Mordecai was faithful to the heathen king, he protected his life. God showed up and woke Xerxes and then Esther planned the dinner for Haman and the King and still did not say anything.
Nor was she 'eyeing' Haman with hostility cos the king would have noticed, she trusted in the fact that her God would intervene and that her life and destiny was in His hands.


Haman made a stupid move that made the king think he was going to molest the queen. The king was already angry before Esther informed him at the right moment of the plan of Mordecai to annihilate her people.
Let me tell you what i think, God was divinely orchestrating things; Esther could not have stopped Haman's plan with her wisdom, Mordecai could not have stopped Haman's plan with his wisdom alone, they had to trust that God was working with them in a step-by-step process to save the Jews because of His covenant with them.


My covenant with God ensures that He is at work in my life; that all of the wisdom that i have cannot ensure the move of God in my life. The covenant ensures that He is involved in the day-to-day activities of every step that i take and every word that i say. He is working along with all the Mordecai's and the Haman's in my life and His purpose in my life will stand. He is working in all the Xerxes's in my life to ensure that His covenant with me secures my future and that of my loved ones.
Nothing in my life is chance, he is working in everything and filling up the spaces where i fall short and making the path i walk smooth.
He is in my life. Period!


Thank you Jesus for your covenant with me, it is more precious than anything i could ever possess and it is not even tangible but i know that i have it!

(c)Tisha Smith

In my shoes - Part 3

...Are you still holding onto your integrity, Curse God and die!




To be honest, I expected Job to strike me, maybe even kill me for the blasphemy I uttered. He has never raised his h and to me but If I had learnt anything from the years I had been his wife, it was that Job loved his God with all of his heart and absolutely nothing came before him. I never had reason to object to this Job’s love for God only made his love for me stronger; but to watch Job sitting in dust like a beggar was more than I could take, why wasn’t he angry?.


Instead of the physical reaction I expected, he slowly turned his head to me and stared at me, his hazel eyes boring into my soul as if searching for something. For a few seconds that felt like a lifetime, he just held my gaze without a word. Finally, maybe after not finding what he was looking for and all of a sudden weary, he gently sighed and said “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?" And with that gentle statement, he withdrew back into himself, mute again.


Don’t think I haven’t heard the rumours?







Some of you think I uttered those words because I hated Job, while others think I did it because I hated God. Oh, lets not forget those who think I said it because I was done with this marriage and according to law the only way I could get out of it was if I became a widow. Ha! Did anyone ever stop to wonder what it must have been like to be me; walk a mile in my shoes? Have you ever woken up in a nightmare that had no end? In one day I lost EVERYTHING I had. I became a poor, barren; hey, I might as well have became a widow because since all this happened, my husband has barely said a handful of words; leaving me to daily fight the sorrow in my heart without a husband to hold me up.


I am sure you heard about Job’s three friends coming by to comfort him; but did you ever hear of anyone coming to comfort me? I was alone...to bear the pain and sorrow. How quick we are to judge each other; why is it easier to tear me down than to try and understand me. I am sure I am not the only woman in this room who has uttered foolishness in haste be it from anger, pain or emotions. I am not trying to justify my sins, I just want you to see my side... to step out of your comfortable shoes and walk a day in mine.


(c)Inthemidstofher

My Shoes...Part 2

“Job...Job...”


It was my own screaming that woke me up from a night of disturbed sleep. I didn’t remember much and the scenes of the previous day came back in broken fragments; each one ripping into my heart anew. I didn’t know why I had awoken and if I was truthful, I had wished to never see the light of day again. How could my whole life be completely demolished; all between the rising and setting of the sun? How could Job’s God whom he worshiped with all heart let this happen?


I remember when I first met Job,my family were normads who traveled around selling goat's milk and camel hide. He traded with my father a number of times and from his honest tradings, my father grew to respect him and eventually became his friend. One thing the whole town knew about Job was that he was passionate about his God. He wasn’t the God of my people but that did nothing to prevent me from falling in love with him. His passion, trust and love for his God was so infectious that my father had no problems letting me marry and live so far away from my people. My betrothal ceremony was the happiest day of my life and even though I kept my gaze down as customary; I still stole glances of Job out of the corner of my eyes.



“Wife of my youth”, that was his nickname for me and as he gave me a tour of his fields and property he continued “There is absolutely nothing my God cannot do. He has blessed me with EVERYTHING you see here”.

That day seemed a lifetime away; and the pleasures of those days were now replaced with anguish and sorrow. I pushed the memories away as the tears began. God had blessed Job...us...with everything I had seen that day; I now wondered why this same God had taken it away.

As I walked outside, afar off I noticed that he was still in the crumpled pile he had fallen into yesterday. He hadn’t moved and as I got closer, I noticed something was different. As I approached him, a stench I had previously dismissed as probably from a dog that must have died somewhere; got stronger. When I finally got to him, the stench was unbearable and giant flies, the same always seen hovering around corpses surrounded him. At that moment, he turned and looked at me; I screamed in horror. My husband, my tall, handsome, strong husband was now covered in raw moist boils! Each one red, oozing pus with a putrid smell; these boils must have been fiercely itchy because he had converted a broken shard of clay into a tool with which he frantically scratched himself. I watched in horror as each boil he targeted oozed pus and left behind a raw patch of bleeding skin. Not one inch of his body was spared from this ordeal


“Job...Job”

My sobs punctuating each word I spoke. For a moment which felt like a lifetime, there was silence between us.I watched him laying pitifully in a pile of dust, in the same robe he was wearing when our life as we know it came to a brutal halt; the same robe barely hanging on to his now frail fame; partly because he had torn it in two in his grief but also because he had grown so thin and frail. As I took this sight, I felt the little bit of life left in me drain away. I couldn’t even cry, there were no more tears left within me. WHAT DID I HAVE LEFT? In one day, my family’s livelihood, gone, washed away like an empty gourd left haphazardly by a river. My children, their laughter that was a constant sound in my home now faded away like an echo on a hill. My husband, all I had left... now gone, his strong embrace which had always found a way to lift my soul now replaced by a shadow of his former self. WHAT DID I HAVE LEFT??? NOTHING!!! WHAT WAS THERE TO LIVE FOR? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! What was I still doing on this earth, in this life? There was nothing left for me and as I thought of this, a weird peace fell upon me for it had just dawned upon me what I had to do next. It was time for me to join my forefathers, time to travel to the land where I would no longer feel anymore. It was time for me to die! Yes, I wanted to die.



All of a sudden, as I thought these words, I got this feeling within me, this searing hot sensation that initially almost made me double over in pain. As this foreign sensation took my breath away, leaving me dizzy and confused I tried to decipher what was going on within me. Sadness?... no it wasn’t that...I had been living within that emotion for the last 2 days, this was different...this was rage and it welled up in me till I couldn’t take it anymore. Looking directly at Job, my curled lips curled could barely hold back the sarcasm laden questions within; and that's when I did it! That's when I looked him in the eyes and spat out...



To be continued...


(c)Inthemidstofher

My Shoes...

“...Just curse God and die!”

Talk about setting your future on a couple of words! This is the story of how five words not only marred my image possibly forever but also took me on a journey I did not expect.

Listen, I know you might not want to hear what I have to say but I DO have a story. I know the picture my infamous words painted of me were ugly but for one minute... just a sec.... take off your comfortable, judgmental shoes and slip on mine.

The day that changed my life forever started as a normal day; laughter waffling through our compounds as my children prepared for the day. Today was a special day; my eldest son was throwing a huge feast for his siblings and although my husband Job had innumerable servants, I was never one to leave anything to do with my children in their hands. I love being a helpmeet to my husband; I truly do, but there was just something extra special about being a mother. The God of my husband had blessed me with 10 beautiful children; 7 boys who were my joy and 3 beautiful girls who were my laughter. Rather than spend my mornings tending our sheep, camels and thousands of other animals, my husband’s wealth provided servants and allowed me to spend my days with my children.

My Children...My greatest joy.

With my children all prepared and off to the feast, a certain quiet descended on the compound. It was a sweet silence and I immediately released a breath of relief. With them gone, I could finally take a step back and relax. I was going to nap for a while and then go see what Job was up too. After I was rested and preparing lunch, I saw man on a horse, visibly in a hurry rush into our compound and in a blink of an eye my life changed.

... “a messenger arrived at Job's home with this news: "Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: "The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: "Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: "Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother's home. Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."

I was numb! It had to be a cruel joke; my daughters, beautiful and graceful were dead? On my hands, I could still smell the olive oil I had brushed into their hair and the shea butter I has smoothed onto their feet. No, this couldn’t be happening! My sons, tall and brave; spitting images of their father...dead? No! I could not...would not... believe this. I waited for Job’s reaction; actually picked up a rock with the hope that as Job slapped this servant for his cruel joke, I would stone him simultaneously for his outrageous boldness. It was when I saw my husband stand up with a wild almost feral scream of grief, ripping his robe in shreds that I felt it and knew in my heart that it was true. In one day, my life evaporated. As the grief rocked me, the last thing I remember seeing before slipping into the merciful darkness of unconsciousness was my husband’s head covered in blood as he used a jagged piece of a gourd he just smashed to shave his hair off.

To be continued...


(c)Inthemidstofher

Nothing Shall Be Impossible...

There are redeemed Eves ready to crush the head of the serpent;

Widows of Zarephath's waiting for breakthroughs;

Mrs Manoahs dealing with a wayward Samson;

Sarahs and Hannahs waiting for their Isaac and Samuels;

Ruths waiting for their Boaz;

Rahabs trusting for acceptance and redemption;

Deborahs facing a world of men;

Abigails dealing with shrewed husbands;

Leahs unloved and second bests;

Marys who are impossibly pregnant;

And as with these women and many more;

let me assure that

with God NOTHING shall be impossible...NOTHING.

"And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." Luke 1:45

The Most Misunderstood Woman in the Bible

Here's an interesting article you might want to leave your thoughts on after reading.

Her name was never revealed and yet she may be the most infamous woman in the Bible. Augustine labeled her "the devil's accomplice." Calvin called her "a diabolical fury."

And the contemporary understanding of Job's wife hasn't improved on Calvin or Augustine. It's difficult to find a book or sermon treatment of the life of Job that doesn't include the usual condemnations toward his wife. It has become a standard joke to pity Job, as if his wife was yet another cross God called this man to bear.

If the Proverbs 31 woman represents a model of Christian virtue, the wife of Job occupies the role of least desirable, sharing space in the Hall of Shame with the likes of Jezebel,Delilah, and Michal.

But is this image an honest assessment of her character? Or is there a possibility that in our rush to empathize and identify with Job, we've rushed to cast judgment on his wife?

What We Forget

I wonder if there isn't a gap in our understanding of the Job story. Although clearly Job is the main character, he is not the only one. She may not have been the primary subject of the cosmic argument between God and Satan (1:6-11; 2:1-4), but she was still caught in the crossfire. You might argue that every hardship endured by Job was similarly felt by his wife:

She watched her children die (Job 1:13-19). Ten times God had blessed her womb. Ten times she endured the joy and pain of childbirth. Ten lives nurtured to love, honor, and respect Jehovah. From the account in the first chapter of Job, this appears to be a fun-loving, God-fearing, tight-knit family. Who was the heartbeat of this home? Likely Job's wife played a part in that. It's unlikely he could be such an esteemed man in society (Job 1:1) if his wife was not an integral and influential leader in her own right.

Imagine the grief that overwhelmed her soul as she looked down in disbelief at ten freshly dug graves.

She experienced dramatic financial loss. The Bible describes Job as a wealthy man, perhaps the richest in the world (Job 1:3). Undoubtedly his wife was accustomed to a lifestyle of luxury and comfort. I imagine her home was adorned with the finest furnishings, her clothes spun from the most expensive threads. Her children likely had everything they needed.

In one really bad day, she lost it all. All their wealth, property, and way of life (Job 1:13-22). She was not only bankrupt, but homeless, forced to beg outside the city dump.

She became a caretaker for her disease-ravaged husband. Although Old Testament scholars don't agree on the nature of Job's illness, clearly his pain was so excruciating, he asked God to take his life (Job 3). It distorted Job's appearance so dramatically that his closest friends could barely recognize him and when they approached, fell to the ground in pity (Job 2:12). This last temptation brought by Satan was so severe, it nearly broke Job's soul. Every day Job spent at the ragged edge of death, only experiencing momentary relief brought by the heat of the burn piles and the scrape of pottery shards.

While we weep with Job, we miss the faithful, steady presence of his wife. She put aside her own grief to stay care for her husband. Imagine the exhausting drain, caring for a suffering soul like Job. Imagine the loud howls of agony, hour after hour, day after day. Imagine the one you love walking the thin line of sanity, suffering excruciating, debilitating pain.

Job's wife continued this mission of mercy without the resources of a helpful support network, without any financial resources, without relief. Their children were gone, their friends and family scattered, her God seemingly absent.

Words of Despair

And we come back to those seemingly bitter words of resignation, the only recorded words of Job's wife in the entire story. Words shared at the lowest point of her life.

"Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die" (Job 2:9, ESV). These are tough words that appear to reflect a heart bitter and angry toward God. This is where most commentators pounce, accusing Job's wife of collusion with the Devil to force her husband to do exactly what the Devil predicted Job would do: give up on God. Many question her faith, wondering if perhaps her faith in Jehovah wasn't real.

I find both scenarios difficult to believe. Every human has moments, words, thoughts we'd love to have back, shared in the crucible of a crushing trial. Imagine if those words were recorded in history for everyone to dissect and analyze.

Clearly God chose to record her thoughts in Scripture, yet sometimes I wonder how fair it is to define an entire life based on one conversation. Nowhere before or after this incident are we given any indication that Job's wife was a perpetually bitter, unhappy wife.

And perhaps her advice to Job wasn't born out of her own misery, but out of compassion. Day after day, she witnessed her husband live out his days in utter agony, no relief in sight. Maybe she was seeking the most compassionate way out for Job. Curse God, pull the plug, and get it over with. Perhaps she longed to see an end to Job's suffering, a painless journey to the sweet relief of heaven. This is certainly something Job himself desired of the Lord.

It's not uncommon to find raw, honest, expressions of grief spilled on the pages of the Bible. Yet we celebrate David, Moses, Jeremiah, and even Job as being authentic and honest, but heap judgment on Job's wife for similar expressions.

A Husband's Response

Job's response is fascinating. He carefully listens and watches his beloved wife shrink under the weight of their shared hardships.

I imagine Job lifts his blistered hand and strokes her hair. At first, his words read like a harsh rebuke: "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10, ESV).

Yet, if you listen to Job, you almost hear admiration. "You speak as one of the foolish women." He didn't say his wife was foolish. He didn't even say her words were foolish. He said, "She sounds like one of the foolish women."

In other words, "You don't sound like yourself." You might read these words like this:Sweetheart, that's not you talking. This doesn't sound like the woman of God I know and married. That is not you talking, my wife. Let's remember God's promises. Let's remember his goodness.

Such a far cry from the ringing condemnation she's received in the centuries since. Job knew his wife's suffering was just as acute as his. In fact, seeing the pain in her eyes may have added to Job's great suffering.

It's likely she was in a state of shock. Sudden loss has a way of clouding our judgment, distorting our view of reality and of God. Often those living in the thick of tragedy make contradictory statements about faith and life. Today we might even conclude Job's wife suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Apparently Job's words were the balm his wife needed to soothe her soul, because she isn't heard from again in the remaining chapters of the story.

What Does God Think?

Curiously, while authors, commentators, and pastors all rush to judge her, God is silent. The Scriptures don't record specific words of blessing for Job's wife like they do for Job (Job 1:8).

Yet we don't find divine rebuke either. Surely, if God was displeased with her, he would have expressed it. He didn't hesitate to rebuke Job's friends (Job 42:7-9).

All we know of God's treatment of Job's wife is how he blessed her after the trial was over. She shared in the doubling of their wealth (Job 42:10). She had the privilege of giving birth to ten more children, whom the Scriptures declared the most beautiful in all of the land (Job 42:12-15). And it's likely she shared in the many more fruitful years of her husband's life. The Scriptures say that Job lived long enough to see four generations of his offspring (Job 42:16).

A Model of Endurance

So what can we learn from Job's wife today? Perhaps her greatest testimony is her simple presence during her husband's lowest moments. At the end of Job, we read that his siblings and friends returned and "consoled and comforted him because of all the trials the LORD had brought against him" (Job 42:11). It's easy and safe to show compassion after the fact, but during Job's lowest moments, they were nowhere to be found.

Yet every single day, there was his wife, caring, loving, and enduring the trials Satan inflicted.

The trials that would split many marriages didn't split Job and his wife. They stuck it out together. And at the end of this story, we read of them conceiving and raising another ten children.

Was her attitude perfect throughout the storm that engulfed her family? No. Did she say things she would later regret? Absolutely.

But through it all, she endured, her faith in God remained intact, and maybe, just maybe, her service to her husband should be held up as a model of biblical character.

Daniel Darling is the senior pastor of Gages Lake Bible Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He is the author of Teen People of the Bible, Crash Course, and iFaith. He and his wife, Angela, have two daughters and a son. www.danieldarling.com.