Review: Ladies Bible Study

So, I went to Ladies Bible Study last week. Because I was raised Baptist, I knew to expect the following:

1. It would start late.
2. There would be food.

Well, these ladies did not disappoint on either count. There was plenty of food, and we started about 15 minutes later than scheduled. Some things you can just count on.

And it seems like that's one of the nice things about church. There is a certain comfort there, a certain something that you can expect.

And, then there are the things that you can't expect. The things you'd never anticipate in a million years. Like, I never would have expected I'd nearly break down crying during Ladies Bible Study. I don't like to cry, especially not in front of people, especially not in a room full of strangers. But I started to. Every single time the group leader--a woman who was clearly on fire for Jesus--said the phrase "wilderness experience." As in, "You may be going through a wilderness experience right now." I just really wished she'd stop saying that. And, then we watched a video, and that speaker kept talking about how God pursues us. She said it again and again. By this time, I was feeling a little irate. I mean, stop talking about this stuff already. But they didn't. And, the oddest thing was, these women both seemed genuinely filled with joy, and that made me wonder about them.

So I, quite uncharacteristically, decided to go up to the group leader to talk about the fact that I nearly burst into tears everytime she said "wilderness experience." I didn't want to do this, but I felt almost compelled to. When I went up to her, I must have looked a wreck. I felt a wreck. So, I just started talking to her. About God, about religion, about school. I was talking to a complete stranger. I was talking to the on fire for Jesus lady, the lady who I strongly suspected had never so much as missed one devotional in her whole life. I mean, maybe she opened her eyes once or twice during prayers, but I'm sure that was it. Who on earth was I? More to the point, who was she? And why was I talking to her? Well, as it turns out, she (the on fire for Jesus lady) finished her PhD in the same department I'm in, 17 years ago. And, we talked a little about her life back then. Turns out, she was a lot more like me than I'd have ever guessed.

I know that sounds surprising. Like I said earlier, there are some things you could never anticipate in a million years. But, it didn't feel surprising. It was like I was living out those stories that I've heard and read and seen in church a hundred times before. It was like taking apart the parts of a short story of my life. I knew where to expect the character development, the plot twists, the rising action, the foreshadowing. And I guess I knew that none of this was a huge surprise. In fact, when I look back, it all just looks like a big, well-ordered plan.

And, that's part of the comfort of church. Even when there is no liturgy, there are no real surprises, just small acts and small revelations that let us see the bigger plan. I'll be going back tomorrow to see what else happens!