Women of Light

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in may see the light.


Luke 11:33

Sometimes there are people who make a profound difference in your life through their example or small gestures of kindness. And they may not even know it.  I have been blessed with many women who inspire me in real life.  But there are two women who have inspired my spiritual growth more than anything in my whole life.

About 4-5 years ago, I prayed for more Godly friends.  I was new-ish to a town and I felt like I was missing friends that had similar values.  God brought a few women into my life who have touched me in incredible ways.  I want to tell you about three of them here.

I was asked to give a talk at our local MOPS group in VA about 4 years ago.  The night before my talk (which was supposed to be about maintaining marriage), the president called to inform me that one of the Moms in the group had just lost her son in a tragic drowning.  She asked if I would briefly address that in my talk.  I did not know Lauren, the woman who had just buried her son, but I felt a profound sense of compassion and grief for her.  Lauren was very pregnant with her second child when her son drowned. I prayed for her and her family and I could not stop thinking of them.

I met Lauren a few months later as she was my table leader at MOPS.  We became friends easily.  When I asked Lauren one day how she coped in the days after Robbie's death she simply told me that she immediately turned to the Bible.  She told me she craved God's word and that she could not get enough.  I was stunned.  I had read the Bible.  I was a Christian but I had never "craved" the word. I did not feel hungry for it like Lauren described. I was in awe that she just leaned into God and He was there.

On my 40th birthday, I went to support Lauren as she gave a talk at her church. But I got so much in return as did every person in that room. She shared her incredible story of faith.  She told us how the Lord pulled her family through a horrendous tragedy...one I could not even imagine.  I knew that night that I needed to "get in the word" like Lauren was but I will be honest, I still did not know where to begin. 

So, I kept my Bible on my nightstand and I read it now and then.  I did devotionals and Bible studies but I still did not feel drawn to reading the Bible on a daily basis.

At this time, I also became great friends with Diana.  Last May (2009), Diana came to visit me in our new house in Texas.  She brought me a Bible (Quest Study Bible).   I remember thinking...hmmmm...  I have a Bible.  Several, in fact.  Does she think I need one? Does she not believe I am really a Christian? I tired to act really excited but in reality I wasn't.  I was a bit confused.  I tried to understand the meaning behind the gift.

I put the Bible on my bedside table and there it sat for a few months.  I would pick it up and skim it some evenings.  I started reading Psalms.

Then this January I posted about my New Year resolotions and Laurie emailed me telling about a program to read the entire Bible in a year.   So, I picked up Diana's Bible and I started reading.  I checked off the readings each night. Some chapters were easy and some books have been really tough to get through. But I am 75% through reading the Bible and I can say that I am "in the word."  I read the Bible daily and on Christmas Eve I will have read every word of the Bible!!!!  This is all in thanks to these 3 women!!  I can honestly say that Lauren's strength and unwavering faith, Diana's gift and example of Christianity and Laurie's suggestion for the reading program all connected to change me.  I now LOVE that Bible Di gave me.  I bring it with me everywhere.  Its pages are tabbed and bent and underlined and written in.  I love that it is a study Bible so there are explanations in the margins.

These women changed my life.  My faith and trust in God have grown tremendously.  I look at things differently.  I get SO much more out of Mass each week.  I feel filled.

None of these women "pushed" anything on me.  They were simply a light in my life, a role model and I have no doubt that God placed them there for that reason.  I asked for these friends and He delivered them into my life.  So, thank you Lauren, Diana and Laurie.   By your example and simple acts of kindness you have made me a better person.

If you are interested in the Bible Reading plan, you can find it here.  If I can do it, anybody can.

Is there someone who is a woman of light for you?  Someone who has inspired you simply by being who they are?

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105