Are You a Bible Study Girl?

It’s funny how our thoughts affect our actions. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” I have seen this evidence firsthand in my running journey and in my spiritual journey. When I first started running, I never called myself a “runner.” I would always say that I was “someone who runs sometimes.” There was something about designating myself with that title of runner that brought higher expectations of my performance. Gradually my running improved in pace and distance. I honestly don’t remember when the transition happened in my mind, but somewhere along the course of time, I began to think of myself as a runner and call myself a runner. The thoughts and actions were intertwined. As I improved, my thoughts about my ability improved, which brought more confidence, which further enhanced my performance, which brought more confidence. Follow me?  Thoughts feed actions; actions feed thoughts. They can’t be separated. I became a runner.

Not long ago, someone called me a “Bible study girl.” This resonated with me because as much as I love and study the Bible now, I so very clearly remember the days when I didn’t know one single verse. I remember when I was in high school and beginning to seek God after the death of a friend. I visited a church and was caught off guard when the small group went around in a circle, sharing their favorite verses. I was embarrassed when they got to me. I didn’t know any verses by heart. This did intrigue me to study the Bible, however, because the verses the others shared spoke to my heart. It was within a couple years that I began my own thrilling journey of knowing Jesus as my own Savior.

Knowing Jesus, however, didn’t instantly make me a “Bible study girl.” In my early years as a Christian, I struggled with low “spiritual self-esteem.” I was constantly comparing myself to other Christians and feeling I would never measure up to them. I didn’t know the Bible the way that they did. I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, so I didn’t understand all the doctrines and terminology that they did. I didn’t know how to pray beautiful prayers like they did. I had a past that they didn’t. The enemy used this mind game with me for YEARS. I never considered myself a Bible study girl. I considered myself based on my past, grateful for salvation, but sitting on the sideline, admiring the other “runners.” But gradually, my walk grew stronger, and my faith grew deeper. As I spent time in God’s Word, I began to see myself as God saw me. I wasn’t inferior to all of my Christian friends. I was chosen! For a purpose! I began to understand the glorious riches of the inheritance I had been given. And I found my purpose- to learn all I could about how to walk closer to Jesus and help others to do the same. I became a Bible study girl.

I want other women to see themselves as God sees them, so that they can stop listening to the lies of the enemy and listen to the truths of their identity in Christ. Hebrews 12:1,2 says, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles [lies from the enemy, negative thoughts]. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” A runner always begins with that first step. Go for the prize. Be a runner. Be a Bible study girl.