Sue is just about my oldest (longest?!) friend. I have known her since I was in middle school - she was my church youth group leader. There were activities and retreats and rites of passage in the church; Sue was there. As we've gotten older, she became and has remained a close friend. When I was living in Connecticut, I led a Bible study group, and Sue was the collective group's director, giving the talk to the larger group at the end of the evening each week - always thoughtful and interesting with historical context and visual aids, but also always with a core message of faith.
She has always been a voice of spiritual reason for me. When I find myself asking questions, Sue has always been the one to bring me around to what I know. She does this most of the time by simply reminding me of scripture. Many years ago, she impressed upon me the importance of knowing scripture - and not just being familiar with it, but memorizing it. If it lives in your heart, it is always with you, and you always know where to find key passages.
This is a lesson I have never forgotten and have been explicitly reminded of many times over the years, when I'm reaching for a verse or word from God that I can't quite find. I have a distinct memory of driving north on 95 one (pre-Google) day, trying desperately to remember the beautiful words of Jeremiah 29:11. I knew the beginning, but couldn't quite get to the end, and had no idea where to find it. Someone eventually helped me out, and I haven't forgotten it since.
I have found myself in situations and conversations over the years, in which I know the general content of a verse, but don't have it handy. "There is some something about that somewhere in one of the gospels - I think - that addresses that .... if only I could remember it ...." isn't quite as effective as saying: God tells us in John 16:33: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Sue has always beautifully modeled this ability to conjure up scripture applicable to the situation, and for that lesson, I have always been grateful.
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