Adrienne's Story: My Whole Life Would be Suspect

There was no way I was going to a neighborhood Bible Study! These people were radicals. They would no doubt judge me. I didn’t own a Bible, and I certainly wouldn’t be able to find my way around one if I did. All my life prior to Bible Study attendance would be suspect! I was almost 40 years old, had everything anybody would rightfully need in life, and I was miserable. The self-help aisles at Barnes and Noble weren’t helping. I sensed I was being pushed hard by the Holy Spirit to give it a try. I see that now, only in retrospect. So I went.

None of my fears were founded. The group of women I met that first year were polite, patient and concerned about the spirituality of others. Nobody attempted to convict me on my prior lack of Bible knowledge or church attendance. There were no critics as I flipped back and forth through my Bible trying to locate the proper Book. No one commented on me or my family’s spiritual life prior to that first year of the study.

I cannot begin to estimate the value our Neighborhood Bible Study has brought to my life and to my family’s lives. There is no doubt the Lord intended for me to be in that environment to come into a personal relationship with Christ. Despite having the worst of preconceived notions, I was to take away Truth – life-altering Truth. Jesus is likely delighted to not be the stern taskmaster and cosmic scorekeeper anymore. My family now knows the Lord as the Loving Father that He is. My husband and I have grown in faith together in the years since I started attending the study. All three of my children now know Jesus and have the opportunity to live a life intertwined with Him, which I never had. I am certain that my grandchildren will have the opportunity to grow up with Jesus.