Growing up I always felt “average”. My older sister, Monica, was super smart…valedictorian, smart and very talented in drama and one act play. I remember her always just knowing things and loving books and reading and oh the theatre, she would shine on the stage. Erin, my younger sister, was gifted in sports. As a freshman in high school, she made the varsity team in both volleyball and basketball. My family spent Erin’s high school career cheering her on in the gym.
And I was just average. Nothing special, nothing to really cheer for or receive fame for…just average.
Soon after Brad and I got married, we took a group of teens from our youth group to a camp at Oral Robert’s University. While at this week long camp I had an experience I’d never had before, and to this day I’ve never experienced something like it again.
I was in a small group lecture with a group of kids from our church, and in the middle of this man’s teaching he looked at me, had me stand up, and he said these words over me, “The Lord says you’re brilliant.” And then he proceeded to finish his teaching.
I was shocked.
Number one, I had never had someone call me out.
Number two, I had never felt brilliant a day in my life. I had always just felt average.
All this year we are looking at 2 Peter 1:1-10 with the intention that as women of God we would embrace His Divine Nature. In 2 Peter, the Apostle Peter is writing to Christians and he’s telling them, “Hey church, don’t forget, by truly understanding or KNOWING Jesus, you can be a part of or partake in HIS DIVINE NATURE.”
Friends…that is GOOD NEWS.
In a moment, of me really having knowledge or knowing the truth about who Jesus is and who I am because of Jesus, I went from average to brilliant. When we understand the gospel and the exchange that took place when Jesus died on the cross, it changes our perspective of ourselves, and we begin to see ourselves through God’s lenses. We gain knowledge about the truth of what God says about us and the truth about His power and promises that work within us.
Being brilliant has nothing to do with me. Being brilliant has nothing to do with the knowledge I’ve received or learned in a classroom. It has nothing to do with what our society thinks is important and puts value on. Being brilliant has to do with God’s Divine Nature.
I still have many days where I feel average and not brilliant. When I lean into the knowledge of who Jesus is and who He is in me, my perspective changes and I’m able to understand and know the truth.
Friends…if we want to be women who embrace knowledge, women who walk in God’s Divine Nature, we must allow His truth to be planted deep in our hearts.
An average person like me can gain so much knowledge just by believing what the Bible says!
I hope you’ll stay on this journey with me and continue to allow God to transform your thinking about yourself and ultimately your thinking about Jesus. When we embrace God’s word and allow it to be truth to us, we are letting knowledge be made complete in us. Because of this, we understand more clearly who Jesus is. That’s what I want, to KNOW Jesus more and more…I know that’s what you want, too.
We would like to thank Julie Snellgrove for writing this post
Women's Ministry 