Be the Brave Ones
Helping you live brave, build community, and pass on courageous faith to the girls around you, we are the Be the Brave Ones Podcast! We have meaningful conversations on the podcast that inspire you to live out your faith with courage and encourage you to have meaningful conversations of your own with the girls in your life! We are the official podcast of Brave Girls Gather. Pull up a seat and join us at our table of brave conversation! Learn more about Brave Girls Gather at www.bravegirlsgather.com
Be the Brave Ones
Seen, Known, Loved: Seeing Through God's Eyes with Mother-Daughter Duo, Amy & Abby Kallas
Join us for our new series as we share stories of faith, courage, and learning how to see ourselves through God's eyes rather than the perception of others.
This kickoff episode is particularly special as we welcome Amy and Abby from North Texas—a mother-daughter duo whose Christ-centered relationship offers valuable lessons on maintaining a close mother-daughter relationship grounded in biblical truth.
The discussion includes a deep dive into the story of the woman with the issue of blood from Mark 5:21-34 - highlighting the woman's courage and faith, the crowd's indifference, and Jesus' compassionate acknowledgment and healing power.
The conversation concludes with reflections and takeaways, encouraging you to focus on Jesus and trust in His plan despite life's challenges or rejection from others.
Join us as we explore how knowing and being seen by Jesus transforms our lives, making us truly feel seen, known, and loved.
Have a meaningful conversation of your own with the girls in your life using the Seen, Known, Loved Brave Conversation Tool! Download the Leader Guide and Convo Cards
Give to Brave Girls Gather
I think if there's anything from rejection of whatever type that may be and it could even be from in your own family, depending on what's going on is that if you can be okay with you and the Lord, you're always going to be okay.
Speaker 2:Helping you live brave, build community and pass on courageous faith to the girls around you. This is Be the Brave Ones podcast.
Speaker 3:Hey everybody. It is Mandy here. We've been gone all summer, oh my goodness, and I'm just so excited, like thrilled, to be back and I'm here with Lauren today. Delaney is still home with baby number two, but Lauren is joining us for a portion of this podcast series. So glad you're here, lauren. How do you feel about being here today?
Speaker 2:Hey, mandy, it is so good to be back. I'm excited about our upcoming series and everything we're going to talk about today.
Speaker 3:Me too, and we had the best time here in Tampa, florida with my daughter and her friends going through the Summer of Joy series, which was our latest series about gathering girls and their friends, and in creating meaningful experiences of joy. So I want to ask you, lauren, what is the most joy-filled thing that you experienced this summer?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we actually moved from Florida to Iowa where our families are and so just getting to spend time, we went on family vacation with my husband's family, family vacation with my family, and we've gotten a lot more contact with our siblings and our niece and nephew and our parents and it has been just so good and so full of joy.
Speaker 3:And also listeners. Cool fun fact. I'm not sure if we mentioned it on the last podcast series, but Lauren also moved closer to one of our new teammates, chelsea. I felt like God is opening doors for Brave Girls Gather and the vision and mission to catch in different parts of the United States, so that's been exciting. We're going to have a mother-daughter duo on the podcast today from North Texas, and the daughter in this duo is actually part of our team as well. Her name's Abby and she does some of our social media content and we're so excited to talk to them.
Speaker 3:But Lauren and I first want to introduce you guys to this new series that we are feeling so much and we feel that now is the time for it, and it's called Seen, known, loved. All around us there are girls who are planning to go back to school and most of them, if not every single one of them, is concerned about what others are going to think of them, how others will perceive them, and if we're honest as women, we think about these things too to think of them, how others will perceive them, and if we're honest as women, we think about these things too, and as we go through these experiences of navigating something new and we start to think about what others might think about us. The main thing that we need to think about and remember is how God sees us. That helps us to walk into environments with confidence, regardless of what we look like, regardless of what we have, because we know that we're seen, known and loved. So I'm excited to take a look at how God sees us and examine that with some real stories from Scripture.
Speaker 3:We're going to look at four stories of four different women in Scripture and go what was Jesus saying, doing, how was he responding to this woman? What might this woman have been thinking, feeling and experiencing? What were the onlookers thinking, experiencing and feeling? And really come away with some valuable understanding of how God sees us. And what we're really going to touch on as well is what do we do when we feel rejected or overlooked or left out or misunderstood, like, how does Jesus see us in those moments? And that's what these stories, with these women from the Bible, are also going to show us, because those are the moments we're most prone to go and do something that we wish we hadn't done, because we start seeking value and seeking fulfillment in people or in other things to help satisfy the pain.
Speaker 3:But when we know, oh, all the time Jesus is with me, sees me, knows me, loves me, we lean into that. We turn to that instead of turning to everything else. So, lauren, I would just love you to speak into the series, because you've helped put it together. What's something that's really stood out to you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, throughout it we get to see the character of God through these interactions that Jesus has with women, and so it has been so fun for me to just be reminded of all these attributes that God has, that, as he knows me, he's still the same God and these stories are a little bit different, but God is the same, he's near to us, he sees us, he knows those deep things about us and the women in these stories and you'll get to see that too if you continue on with us and as we read through these stories. But just his character, this kind loving near to us, father, that we get to know and it's just encouraging and sweet yeah for sure, and I think that there's some surprises in this for us.
Speaker 3:So we want to be in this and we want you listeners to join us, and there's so many ways that you can join us. You can join us here on the podcast. We're so glad you're here for this launch episode, but there are tools and resources that we have as well, and we want to encourage you to check those out. They're available on our website, they'll be in the show notes, and these tools and resources are going to equip you with ways to have meaningful conversations with the girls and the women in your life when it comes to being seen, known and loved by Jesus, especially when we are feeling rejected, misunderstood or overlooked, and so we encourage you to check those out. In the leader guide for the Brave Conversation tool, it talks about chasing rainbows or searching for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Maybe you did that, lauren, when you were younger. I know I imagined that, that there's this true pot of gold. Did you ever think that when you were a kid? Like, where's the end of that rainbow and can I get there?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I still think that sometimes as an adult, I'm like how far does that go and what does it look like at the end? I wish we could go see it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, where does that land Right? And was a kid, you could actually navigate a little further from your home and feel safe about it. I would actually try to see like, can we find that? Can we do that? And if you've ever done that, you've likely found out pretty quickly like you're not going to get there, you can't get to the end of the rainbow. It can feel like this impossible journey, but what I want our listeners to know is that, even though we can't see the love of God, the love of God is there and it's not an impossible journey and it's the deepest treasure. It's the best treasure that we could actually seek and when we seek it, we absolutely will find it. Every single time.
Speaker 3:Our key scripture for this series that we're going to lock into before we dive into these other stories is Psalm 139. So, listeners, on every episode we are going to read just a little bit of that Psalm. We're going to start with the first six verses today and we want to every time we read that. Just remember that and let it be the lens through which we look at the rest of the stories that we're going to look at. So, lauren, would you read those first six verses? I?
Speaker 2:will, and this is an NIV. You have searched me, lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down. You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, lord, know it completely. You had me in behind and before and you lay your head upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Speaker 3:Lauren, when you read those verses, what?
Speaker 2:stands out to you. Honestly, the first verse. You searched me and know me. I think it can land two different ways Like that's comforting, or it can be like, oh, that's scary. Like there's some stuff there that I wish wasn't known. Recently that has felt just so comforting to me, that like there's a God who sees me and knows me and nothing that I do or say or that happens to me as a surprise to him, like he is that close, he is that near, and so even like down in verse four, before a word is on my tongue, you know it. So that, being known, that intimacy really stood out to me.
Speaker 3:I think that the more we come to know Jesus and this has been my experience is that it's okay that he knows everything. It's okay that he knows the words on my lips before I speak them and he knows the ickiness in my heart sometimes before I speak. And I think what stops us from connecting with others sometimes is we don't want to let people too close because if they know the real us, we're afraid that they might not like us. They know the real us, we're afraid that they might not like us. And so to know that we love and serve a God and we are intimately near to a God who knows everything and still loves us, because that is why Jesus came and Jesus died, so that we could be near, so that in all of our messiness, our ugliness, our ickiness, we could be near and we could be transformed to be more like him and we can become confident in who we are, so that we can also be close to others. And so I loved the words. I love the beginning you search me and know me. But I also love you're acquainted with all of my ways. I don't know why. I just really love that word, like you're acquainted with all of it with everything that I do, and again it's like, oh, that could be scary. But once you get what the cross is all about, once you get the gospel, you're like it's okay and it's amazing that I get to have a God who loves me like that and I need it so desperately. And so we are going to now introduce our guests.
Speaker 3:Like I said before, it is a mother-daughter duo. Amy and Abby are here with us today. They're from North Texas. Amy is a nurse leader and she is passionate about authentically living out her faith at home, in the workplace and in the community, and I just love that so much. Listeners, that's what it's all about. We don't just live Jesus at church or we don't just live Jesus when we're with our Christian friends, but we were made to go and take Jesus, the love of God, into all the areas that our lives touch. She is married to her high school sweetheart for the past 31 years and has served in various volunteer roles, including youth group and as a women's Bible study leader. Abby is her daughter. As I mentioned, she's part of the Brave Girls Gather team as an intern for social media and we just absolutely love and adore her. She's brought so much good content since her time with us this summer.
Speaker 3:She is a recent college graduate from Abilene Christian University. She has a degree in communication and a minor in biblical studies. Amy and Abby's relationship is rooted in Christ and supporting each other with biblical truth. Amy's wisdom and encouragement has been a foundational part in Abby's spiritual walk with the Lord, and that is what we want to highlight today is their relationship and how God has been a key factor in who they are and how they live their lives and in their relationship. Welcome, abby and Amy. Hi, thanks for having us. Absolutely, we are so glad that you guys are here. So I was saying in the beginning of this episode I was talking with Lauren about. We're just coming out of this series called the Summer of Joy, so we're curious to know like what is something joyful that you experience this summer?
Speaker 1:For me. Well, abigail graduated in May, so celebrating her graduation from college, and then also we've had time with her at home, which has been a joy. I'll tell a little story about her. When she was in grade school, she, year after year, received an award for a fruit of the spirit, which was joy. Originally she got upset because she got the same award like three or four years in a row, but that's actually describes her really well.
Speaker 3:that she's joy.
Speaker 1:Her home is just a joy.
Speaker 3:That's awesome, I love it.
Speaker 4:Thank you, mom. My answer is very similar. Being home and actually being able to take a breath and enjoy the time with my family has been really refreshing and really filled my summer with joy. And my mom's parents live right across the street, basically, so I spend a lot of time with them and they are the funniest people I know, so I am filled with joy when I'm over there, basically. So I spend a lot of time with them and they are the funniest people I know, so I I'm filled with joy when I'm over there. So just lots of good, lots of good. Family time, I would say, really brought me joy this summer that's so awesome.
Speaker 3:I love it when things line up that way, where you came in to serve at brave girls gather on a series about joy and that so much joy has filled your life, and I just feel it's so appropriate that we are starting this new series and ending a series on joy with you being here as a guest with your mom, abby. So would you guys tell us a little bit about your relationship, especially, you know, abby, growing up. What has it been like navigating the teen years as a mom and daughter? But either one of you can jump in and speak to this.
Speaker 4:I was not a very rebellious child. I thrive off of rules. We've talked about this before, actually, so I never. There was never really much like that. I feel like it got out of all my rebellion out in kindergarten.
Speaker 3:What did?
Speaker 4:you do in kindergarten.
Speaker 4:I was going crazy, I wanted to have awards I didn't deserve and I wasn't joyful when I got the award for the joy.
Speaker 4:So it was a good time for me. But anyway, I think, um, a big part of like growing up and maintaining a good relationship with your mom is knowing that your mom, like she's always there for you but she's ultimately not your friend. So when you're going to her with something, she might not say the answer you want or she might not you know, she might not agree with what you did. You know, maybe actually think about things, and I think it's so important to have your mom challenge you and really help you assess yourself, not just keep building you up. My mom and her mom, my grandma, are very close with each other and in turn from that I got to watch their relationship and see what a close mother-daughter duo looks like and naturally kind of formed that with my mom and I'm also blessed enough to say that I formed that with my grandma as well and I always say my best friends are my mom and my grandma.
Speaker 3:That's special yeah.
Speaker 4:And so it's really fun.
Speaker 4:It's not always, you know, going to be easy, and we've had lots of hard conversations, but also so many special ones, like when I truly came to accept Jesus was with my mom, and one thing she always told me is she always prayed for her children to get caught in their own sin and to be like convicted from the Lord, rather than just them be like.
Speaker 4:You shouldn't do that all the time. And so that's what happened. I felt convicted and because my mom was that safe person for me, but I also knew that she loved me enough to tell me when I needed to change my behavior. I went to her with that and I was able to, you know, learn more about God and know that he truly does see us and know us and he loves us. Despite what we do, despite the lies we tell at school in first grade and despite the ways we argue with our sister, like, god is there, he sees you and he loves you. And I think my mom just did a really good job of portraying that to me, whether through telling me that or just by seeing the way that she loved me and my sister and my dad and watching the way that my grandparents loved her too. That makes me want to cry.
Speaker 1:I'm glad that you saw all that. A couple of things that I would mention is just trying to be there and also listening to situations. I tried to be very careful about when something was going on, to listen to the situation, validate her feelings. I'm always going to be on the side of my daughter but at the same time, like Abby mentioned, what do you maybe need to assess or change or reflect on? So always tried to, along with her dad, ask like what was going on in the situation, if she had a hard time and what was your part of it. And also always praying, always being in the word. Didn't do do that perfectly, but driving back to the word and prayer, and that's something that my mother really instilled in me. So I think that is a key factor. The other thing I would say is just trying to be around their friends, volunteering.
Speaker 3:I think that's probably.
Speaker 4:I also think, like my mom and I were close and we always spent time together. But you know, like my mom is at work every day, and so the time that I had with my mom was like special to me.
Speaker 4:And I think a lot of girls I've heard complain about the relationship with their mom was they always felt smothered by them.
Speaker 4:My mom was at work, at the hospital every day. We weren't together enough to the point for me to feel smothered, and so I feel like because of that, I always wanted to go to her with everything, because it was like something special to me, because I like cherish that time, and so I think that's something that's really unique for us, because I think a lot of people always were like, oh, that's so hard that because most of my friends had stay at home moms and that's such a blessing, a blessing to have, but we didn't have that in our life. But as I've grown up and reflected, I've really seen that I think it was beneficial for our relationship too, and it's just, you know, different families function different ways and I think God is just so fruitful and how he builds your family up in that way and how it builds your relationships with one another, and so I think that was really good, because it really made me like I desired to be like mom. Let me tell you about this mom, let's hang out all day on the weekend.
Speaker 3:That really speaks to the quality of the time. I believe in that matters. I'm so glad that you guys are bringing that up for moms who are listening here. Like I work and I don't have all the time to do all the things that some moms can do, but look at this testimony of it was the quality of the time.
Speaker 3:And I love, amy, how you said that you were on her side but you did not shy away from her part, like a big part of being on her side was helping her see her part, and I think that's so important for us as moms, not just looking at the other person and what the other person has contributed. I think that that's so valuable. And then also, I can also testify to the power of knowing your daughter's friends. I think that it truly makes a difference. So, moms, be there, be available and get to know your children's friends. But, amy, I also wanted to ask you what would you say to moms who are listening? You know you had this beautiful example with your mom and then some of us just haven't had that example. What would you say to that mom who's listening, who's desiring that deeper connection with her daughter, but it feels like it's not producing the fruit that she's been hoping for? What encouragement would you give her?
Speaker 1:Well to be in the word, because we know that God's word is inerrant and that's the truth. Try to engage maybe with even one or two other moms that are kind of on the same journey that you are on, who will be a sounding board for you and pray with you.
Speaker 1:You can't underestimate how much prayer and praying friends you know to help your children and yourself, and then I would say being in the word or giving examples to your daughter. In Deuteronomy it talks about like as you walk along the road, that you are sharing these truths, and I can say that's something that my mother did with me was when something happened. Like we pray, even just like an ambulance, we pray for the people in the ambulance If there's a situation praying about asking the Lord's guidance and for help For me with both my daughters. I have an older daughter that is seven years older than Abigail.
Speaker 1:It was very important for me that they knew that their identity was in Christ. And so I love that you're going through Psalm 139 because that was kind of like a key anchor for me with my daughters, because knowing that they're fearfully and wonderfully made and the culture around us keeps telling us what we should be here, how we should be here, what we should do, and that's going to be ever changing. What's not going to change is what the Lord says about you. So just really trying to drive home that your identity is in Christ and, whatever your unique talents and gifts, that Lord wants to nurture those in you and use them for his glory.
Speaker 1:And it's so easy with the comparison trap, I'd explain to Abby that, like I had 17 magazine that I would look at and say, oh, I wish I had this hairdo or this makeup or whatever. But that was a magazine I get once a month and then I maybe would look at it all month when I went to school. There would be comparison, or even at church, youth group comparison. But I didn't have social media with continual images on and on and on. So I mean there's been times with both of my daughters too where I was like how much are you on your social media Like stop looking at it, let's get rid of it. Let's call a friend, let's spend time with family or friends and stop looking at this comparison.
Speaker 1:And I have also tried to be intentional about taking care of myself. I always haven't been great at that, being a nurse. A lot of times we're always helping everybody else before ourselves. So I've been working on trying to take care of myself physically, spiritually, emotionally and um and even being a mom, you're always taking care of everyone else before yourself.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 4:Yes, yeah.
Speaker 3:You know, we have to be careful about the way we communicate about ourselves, the way that we care for ourselves, what we're obsessed with, all all of these things our daughters are watching. Abby, do you have anything that you would say to the moms out there if they're going? I'm struggling to connect with my daughter, maybe drawing upon your experience with your mom and something that really helped you connect with her more easily.
Speaker 4:I think, like my mom said, and even you, mandy, knowing your daughter's friends is really important and knowing the circle and the people that your daughter spends time with is so important because when I go to my mom with the situation, she knows exactly who I'm talking about, she knows exactly kind of their character and she's able to help me. And so I I know it's harder if you're not in a situation where your daughter's letting you in and letting you know those people and so I think being able to give your daughter space but ultimately let her know that you're still there and you know cause everybody's different and so and even you know, everyone always says in parenting your kids aren't the same kid, so what works with one is not going to work with the other, and so I really think praying with them, I feel like every time my mom and I got in an argument growing up, it was always like how can I say this or do this in a way that supports you better? And obviously there's things you can't always change, but being aware of different words you say or different tones you speak in is like really valuable, and I also think just showing up for your kid, showing them that you care about what they're doing. I think a lot of comparison comes from everything we do. It's not just from social media, if you're in a sport, if you're in just. Even in school, I used to compare my handwriting to other people's and copy them in class because I thought they were cool, because I like their handwriting.
Speaker 4:There's always something, especially as girls, to compare to showing your daughter that what she likes to do or what she can do is of value, even if she's not the star player on the team or the best musician in the orchestra. You know building her up and being like, wow, you did a great job. And like my parents were always checking in on me. They weren't like, oh, you have to get straight A's. They were like, oh, how did you do on this? And they would celebrate with me when I did well and when I was struggling. They would ask me what type of support I need and encourage me to seek out help. And so I just think consistently being there. One day your daughter will wake up and be like wow, my mom is right here with me. And like, you can be there even without having the ability to be home every day and go to all of the school parties and take your daughter to all the birthday parties, like you can still be there and be involved in her life without actually physically being at everything every day.
Speaker 3:That's so good, abby, I'm so glad that you shared all of that. And I want to also emphasize persistence, especially if your daughter hasn't been receptive to your invitations. For example, if you're about to go to Target and you're like, knock on her door and you're like, hey, you want to go to target with me and she says no, ask three times, be like, are you sure? Cause I'd really love for you to come. I know, I don't really feel like it. Come on, come on, I'd love, I'd love for you to come with me. Ask three times, because a lot of times you're going to get, oh, my mom actually wants to spend time with me. You can nudge them into a yes and that time can be so valuable.
Speaker 3:Also, that listening piece of really hearing them that you shared about before, amy, like that listening and truly hearing them and affirming feelings is so valuable and important. And, lauren, I want to ask you because this was also made me curious, abby, abby, when you talked about the whole handwriting thing, because I totally did that when I was in middle school. I cared about other people's handwriting in mind, and so does my daughter. Lauren, did you do that?
Speaker 2:oh yeah, 100%. That's so relatable. And I ended up going into education and teachers tend to have a certain type of handwriting because you're writing on the board all day and whatever. So, oh yeah, I had a lot of thoughts about handwriting. Still probably do, if I'm being honest.
Speaker 1:I can tell you how to get rid of that problem, but it's going to date me Paper charting. I don't even know what that is, you know in the hospital. So I've been a nurse 27 years now. It feels kind of old, but my initial area was in a neonatal intensive care unit at the bedside and I've done different things over the years. But when you're charting fast, all the time writing and my family can attest to this, because I had to let it go and now it's a joke at every family party, can we read Auntie Amy's handwriting? Yeah, my husband can decipher it. Yeah, and Abby's pretty good, I'm like.
Speaker 4:I at this point I'm like the translator, I'm like just hand it to me, but yeah so that if you write a lot, you might be able to get over but like I remember, like missing important information in class, because I was like erasing something I wrote in my notes because it didn't look cute enough. I'm like what?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's very medieval. Did you change your style too, from like the a without the little top part and then the a with the top part and then the?
Speaker 4:I with the heart I never liked the top part, until the cool girl next to me yeah, the top part. So I was like it's time to transition. And then, like the next school year, I didn't have classes with her and I sat next to someone else who did a the other way and I was like gotta change and I remember my sister always did a with the top part and she still does, and I always was like that's ugly.
Speaker 4:But then I was in the phase where I thought that was so cool and then I was like why haven't I been writing like my sister my whole life?
Speaker 1:it yeah, just own your own.
Speaker 4:There's all things to think about and change always be judging yourself and comparing yourself on even the littlest things like writing in your notes in sixth grade and just being who god made you to be.
Speaker 3:It makes me think of the honeybee. The honeybee cannot fly. Based off the aerodynamic design of a bee, it's not supposed to be able to fly, but god made the bee to fly. So when the bee is being the bee, it can do more than any human ever thought it could do. And I think that's a message for us individually that when we are being who God made us to be, we're going to do things that we didn't even know we could do. So we got to stop looking to the left and the right and we got to look to the one who made us right, the one who knew us before we ever even breathed a breath and who sees us and loves us as we are. That's where we're going to become that person. That it's not about being better than anybody, but it's like displaying the awe and wonder of God just by being who he made us to be.
Speaker 3:So every series, we release a Brave Conversation, and that Brave Conversation is conversation cards that allow us to have meaningful conversation with the girls in our life. So I want to ask you guys a question from that today. This is kind of like our get real moment where we ask you to not hold back but be honest and brave in your sharing. But the question is can you think of a time when you had to navigate the sting of rejection, and what did that look like for you?
Speaker 1:So I was trying to think about this question because I've had a lot of rejection over my lifetime, but one that kind of stands out to me is in high school. I was pretty open about my faith and so I didn't have a lot of friends in my actual high school. I had church friends, which I thank God for that's. Another tip is to make sure that your daughter has different groups of friends in different locations, because there will always be drama going on in one group. So I've tried to have my girls do that as well. I had one girl that I was really good friends with, and one day I came to school, junior year, and she just stopped talking to me. She never talked to me again. She started hanging out with another girl. It was very. She started hanging out with another girl.
Speaker 1:It was very, very hurtful, and I think something that my mom did teach me that I learned very strongly in this moment and that I've tried to pass on to my daughters is sitting there, you know, in high school, like at lunch or whatever, by myself, knowing that God was never going to leave me and forsake me, knowing that God was never going to leave me and forsake me.
Speaker 1:And I think, if there's anything from rejection of whatever type that may be and it could even be from in your own family, depending on what's going on is that if you can be okay with you and the Lord, you're always going to be okay and he's always the one that's going to always be there for you. Okay, and he's always the one that's going to always be there for you. You know he's the same today, yesterday and forever. And so I guess learning to be okay in that and that has carried me through other friendship issues or even in schools, with other mothers difficulties, and even at work, where sometimes I have felt like, okay, I feel like I'm on my own here, or feeling persuaded to go along with the crowd. No, I got to do what the right thing is and if it's just me and Jesus, then that's okay.
Speaker 4:I've felt a lot of rejection in my life. I feel like most girls do. Being a musician, that's an example. You know, auditioning for a certain group and not getting into it is really devastating. But specific example I can think of is when I got to college. I graduated high school in class of 2020.
Speaker 4:So I'm a special group of people that got to go off to college while the world was still like half shut down and it was really hard because I was seeking community everywhere. I was joining small groups, I was trying to get involved in things and literally everything I auditioned for I got rejected from and I was like this school isn't for me, no one likes me, I don't want to be here. I remember calling my mom and being like I hate it here, I don't want to go here, I have no friends, nobody likes me. Like all of the things I was involved with in high school I've tried to get involved with here and they've all not worked out and I felt so defeated. All the things I wanted to do I was rejected from and my mom was like but look like you were in band all four years and orchestra and you were in a leadership position. Like these are all great things and I was like, yeah, but I didn't go out and seek that.
Speaker 4:Like I came to ACU being in band and my mom was like, yeah, because the Lord placed you there, like you were seeking all these different things, but the Lord puts you where he wants you and so I think that's what gives me peace is knowing the friends that stop talking to you or the things you audition for or try to be a part of that reject you and you don't make the cut. Like I truly have faith and I've seen in my life from things happening like that is the Lord guiding you and that's kind of the mindset I've tried to frame and to like look through that lens with, because I think that that's so valuable and knowing that God's hand is over everything and you can go and try and do all these things but he's ultimately going to place you where he wants you to be.
Speaker 3:Yes, he's guiding your path and protecting you because he knows the plan. Like going back to Psalm 139, listeners, go read that this week, sit in it, don't just read it one time, but keep going back to it and meditate on it and realize what those words are actually saying to you. God knows your story, he knows your path and he's sending you down that path, especially if you're surrendering your life to him. And, abby, you shared something with Lauren and I. You shared this really sweet story. I don't know if you'd be willing to share it with our listeners. The reason why I want you to share that is because sometimes we miss what God is doing. We miss the little things and it takes spiritual eyes to see the small ways that God is loving us. So, with that, go ahead and share.
Speaker 4:Well, like I've said before, my mom you know she's working nine to five, sometimes six to nine, I don't know she's at work a lot and so I am fresh out of college and everyone it feels like to me everyone has a job or everyone else is still looking for a job. Like it just was just really building up on me this week and I came home and I was like I'm so upset I just feel like I can't do anything Like why did I go to college? I'm never going to find a job. Like just blowing, blowing up, basically, and I was like at home alone and I was just like crying in my bathroom. Then I hear the garage door open and I was like who is that?
Speaker 4:I was like is dad home early for lunch? Like I had no idea, and my mom walks in and she's like Abby, what's wrong? We went in my room, sat down and she prayed over me and just let me cry and I was like, wow, like God knew I needed my mom and God knew that I had this hard moment and kind of like let it erupt when he knew my mom was on the way. I don't know. It was just really sweet that God sees you and he's with you even in those hard moments where you expect to be alone. I love that story so much.
Speaker 3:So let's jump into our scripture round table. We are going to be looking at the woman with the issue of blood and that can be found in Mark 5, 24 through 34. So if you're listening and you're at home right now and you like have your Bible or your phone Bible, like, pull it up again. It's Mark 5. Actually, we're going to start in 21, 21 through 34. Lauren, would you read that?
Speaker 2:When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him. He was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders named Jairus came, and when he saw Jesus he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him my little daughter is dying, so please come and put your hands on her so she'll be healed and live. So Jesus went with him.
Speaker 2:A large crowd followed and pressed around him, and a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought if I just touch his clothes, I will be healed. Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once, jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked who touched my clothes? You see the people crowding around you. His disciples answered and yet you ask who touched me? But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her daughter your faith has healed, you Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.
Speaker 3:So there's three questions that when we look at each of these stories in the next four episodes that we're going to examine. And the first one is what do you notice about the woman in the story? So I'd love to hear what you guys think there. We'll start with you, Lauren.
Speaker 2:I notice a lot of things about this woman. The thing that I keep going back to is that she had the courage to in this big crowd. And I wanted to go back to verse 21, because Jesus is on his way to do something very important and this woman has the courage to reach out and touch him. He's busy, he's moving, he's in a crowd and she believes that he will heal her. She believes that it's worth it to step out in faith and touch his cloak. And so just that phrase of coming up behind him and touching his cloak because she thought if I just touch him, I will be healed- she didn't let what people thought stop her.
Speaker 1:I really liked the same things. I saw her faith and her courage and then I actually started thinking a little bit more about it because she had been bleeding for 12 years. More about it. Because she had been bleeding for 12 years, so that would have made her during that timeframe like unclean in that culture and so she would have been kind of shunned and full of shame and not been around people. So I thought too of her courage and that she kind of had to get past what maybe everyone else was thinking.
Speaker 4:Yeah, for me too, the same thing.
Speaker 4:I really admire her courage and her bravery because in that time, like my mom was saying, she was considered unclean and just the fact that she was in that huge crowd, all those different people, people thought like if you're unclean, you're going to spread your uncleanness with everyone and walk you away.
Speaker 4:And so I really think, like she was so brave to go out there and risk it. Even like, when you're so unclean, going up to Jesus, who you admire so much and is so perfect, like sometimes the hardest thing is when you're feeling so broken is to go to the person you admire the most with that brokenness. And she, she just went anyway because she had so much faith and so much trust that Jesus was going to heal her. And I think I admire that so much because, even with the littlest things in life, I'm like, oh well, you know, whatever it's not going to work out, or like this isn't worth praying about, it's so small, but it's like it's really not. Jesus is always there and our faith in him and our bravery to go to him is just as valuable.
Speaker 2:I was thinking about that too, with her reputation of being unclean for 12 years. Scripture tells us that immediately her bleeding stopped and she knew that she was healed. But she was still going to be in this culture where you can't undo 12 years immediately, and so she was still going to be surrounded by questions, by rejection, but all of that was still worth it for her to know Jesus, for her to be seen by Jesus, for her to be healed by him. And so I think even more, with the encouragement for a listener who you know, you're going to come to Jesus and you do get to know him and he knows you.
Speaker 2:It doesn't mean that you're going to step back into the world and things are going to be all of a sudden different. They're different because Jesus is with you in it. But it's not that you're going to experience Jesus on Sunday and walk back to school on Monday and all of a sudden everyone's going to be super nice to you, like we navigate a world that is broken. We will experience rejection even when we have met with Jesus. But that courage and the bravery to step out anyway, to know him, anyway, to walk with him and she left us, I'm sure, so encouraged that she was known and seen and loved by Jesus that she probably didn't care what everyone thought about the next day.
Speaker 3:And it makes me think of that faith is risky, like, let it be risky. That first verse says that there was a great crowd that thronged about him. Verse 24 says that anyway, it's wronged about him. So this crowd is like they're bouncing into each other, kind of like what you pointed out, abby, and so she had to navigate that and that might've been just enough for me to say nevermind, because just enough for me to say nevermind, because people in that crowd knew her, they had to know her, and I don't know if she had to be marked because of her uncleanliness, maybe, possibly. But that could have been a stopping point.
Speaker 3:And I think that there's points where we're going for Jesus, or Jesus is putting something on our heart to step out in faith in, but we're worried about what others are going to think, so we don't step into it. But she experienced that miracle because of her faith and I believe that part of that faith was actually entering through the crowd and not caring what the people thought. And then also, something that stood out to me in relation to her is it said that she had suffered for 12 years, suffered, she had spent all that she had and was no better, had grown worse. So she's out there searching. She's going to every doctor. It says she suffered under doctors and so she's going out there she's trying to find the healing and she's finding no answers.
Speaker 3:She's actually getting worse, and how discouraging that must be. But then she goes to that crowd and she knows it says that she's heard about him and she knows that all she has to do is just touch him. She knew she should just touch his cloak, that she would be healed and she went for it. And it makes me think about us and how God might want to be working in us in some kind of way If we would just let it be risky, if we would step out in faith and not care what others thought. So the second question is what about the onlookers? What does this passage tell us about the people who were watching what was going on?
Speaker 2:I noticed the reaction of the disciples. It says that they asked him. You see the crowd and yet you ask who touched me and I don't know. But I just assume this attitude of like impatience, like come on Jesus, there's this whole crowd Like let's go, we're going somewhere important, his daughter's sick. We're on the way. And as I sat with that, I wondered like how how often am I reacting that way when I'm like someone around me needs healing, someone around me needs to be seen and known and loved, and I'm like move on, move on, for whatever reason.
Speaker 3:I'm on the way to do something important. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And so just that was convicting to me that his disciples who were there to minister with him they're like, yeah, let's go. So that was what I noticed.
Speaker 3:How beautiful of him to stop, though, right Like. It makes me teary that he's like nope, we're going to record this in history. Yeah, what about you, abby? Did you see anything? When it comes to the onlookers, it's good to use our imaginations here and just consider. What must they have been thinking? What must the disciples have been thinking?
Speaker 4:I just kind of picture them, because it says, like you know, everyone knows that Jesus is going to heal that little girl, and so they're all like focused on where he's going. And I think that's a true testament to the people in our lives that we oftentimes feel like are rejecting us or we're comparing ourselves to. Like everybody is so focused on their self or what they think is the cool thing at the moment, and I think it's so cool how relevant the bible is to our daily lives, even though we don't live anything like this like still the people, the crowds we're in all the time we're like, oh, these people are going to judge me, I shouldn't do the brave thing, I shouldn't't step out in faith, like other people, are worried about what's ahead of them, they're worried about what they're interested in, they're following the next big thing, and so I think that was just that's kind of just what I noticed about them.
Speaker 3:I love that, abby. If we're like the woman you know and we're looking at Jesus, we're feeling rejected by everybody else. Just keep our eyes on Jesus. They're not the ones who got the healing. They were just wanting to see like a big deal right, like what's he going to do, and she's the one who got the miracle. And so just keeping that in mind for ourselves, you know what stands out to you about Jesus.
Speaker 1:I think one of the big things was is that he says who touched my clothes, who who touched me. He repeats that. Thinking about that I'm like well, he knows who it is because he's God. So I think he's trying to illustrate that kind of almost like call out the miracle so that everybody can be engaged in what's happening and say like kind of show like see what I did, and he also validates this woman for coming towards him.
Speaker 4:I think this story is so beautiful because it's just a reminder that, like all these people are bumping up against Jesus, there's so much going on and he stops and is like who has touched me? Because he felt he felt that healing come out of him. And so many times we think, you know, you can think like I'm so small in the grand scheme of the whole world, why would Jesus care about this problem that I'm bringing to him? But he does, and this story shows us how much he sees us and he knew exactly what that woman needed. Without her even saying anything, just her touching him, her faith. He saw her, he knew her and he loved her and he didn't shoo her away or he wasn't mad. He wanted to make her feel seen and known. I feel like in that moment it's such a reminder that in all this crazy of this crowd that was all focused on what Jesus was doing, he still paused and truly saw that woman.
Speaker 2:You mentioned him feeling the I think you said the healing come out of him. But this power that Jesus has. We see in scripture that she went to all these doctors and she spent all she had and she spent all this time and none of them had the power to heal her. And Jesus has the power to heal her and he the power to heal her and he does, like you said. He knew that she needed that healing and it's beautiful to me too that at the end he calls her daughter and like this intimate knowing, instead of just like, okay, woman, you're good now, see ya. He's like, daughter, be free, you're healed. You know he, your faith has healed you.
Speaker 2:And so just the way that he stops to address her, I think it's easy to like, oh, jesus, and then like, run away, like we're like, oh, I'm going to just touch him, okay, maybe I'll be healed now, and run away. And he calls her into that moment, to like, sit with him and to be with him. And I think if we are willing to enter into that moment like we will be healed too, are we willing to let him see us, are we willing to spend that time that he's going to give us and he will give us like he wants us to come and sit with him and tell him what we need and show him who we are, and so I think he did that with this woman and I think he will do that with us too, and so, yeah, just that time that he spent with her.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Just bring what you have to him go to him with it, and I see that moment again of him looking at her and just pausing to acknowledge it, which is really giving her dignity, because the people who knew who she was wouldn't think that she's the one who gets the miracle. And it's so like Jesus to be like this is the one who gets it. It's not about anything but her faith. But the one you reject is the one I'm going to heal because of what she believes about me, and I think that that's important for us when we're looking at other people too.
Speaker 3:If we're feeling our own rejection or left outness or being misunderstood, jesus is calling us to him, and then also, we are called to be like Jesus, to see the ones who feel misunderstood and rejected and left out and acknowledge them, and maybe he wants to use us in that way too, to give them a redeeming moment in front of others, where others are watching, and I really love that daughter word that he uses there too, lauren. So we're going to wrap up this conversation with one final question, because we want to walk away from every conversation changed. We don't want to leave the same, and so I just want to ask you guys real quick what is something that you're taking away from this conversation that you know that God wants you to remember in the days ahead.
Speaker 1:I would say one of the reasons why I really like this story is in our family we've had a lot of early death and people with health issues.
Speaker 1:I actually have a sister that has severe health issues and this story reminds me of her, because not everybody can see what's wrong with her and she keeps, no matter what, just keeps moving forward and taking things to the Lord and trusting him. And so I thought about that a lot. I can struggle with what can I control, how can I fix it? How can I make this better? And that really we just need to have faith and have courage and run to him and some of these things this side of heaven we may not be healed from physically, but he can. That we have hope and we have faith and he may do that. He may not, but he certainly can heal us spiritually and emotionally. We just need to keep running to him and kind of not care about what other people think. And through that, how can we serve others and see others that are struggling and point them to Jesus or, if they are believers, encourage them and help them. You know, walking together.
Speaker 4:I think for me. This story makes me think. How many times am I like a person in the crowd or like the disciples.
Speaker 4:How many times am I like, oh, why do you have to stop again for this? Or judging someone because they're different than me and stripping them of that opportunity of feeling God's love through an interaction with me, or stripping them of an opportunity that they are just as entitled to as I am? And so this conversation and this story just really kind of gives me a heart check of being like are you being like Jesus and seeing the people who the world doesn't validate, but Jesus still sees and loves anyways? Or are you a person in the crowd pushing past them?
Speaker 2:I'm leaving encouraged just by what you, amy and Abby, you shared about your relationship with each other and the way that you just drew out of Abby these hard things that she was walking through, that you met her in that and you walked alongside of her instead of trying to fix it.
Speaker 3:I know you just said you're a fix it person, but it doesn't sound like you did that you know, over the years, you just basically walked with her and I'm just so encouraged by your example and the way you love each other, and so that's what I'm taking away, that is beautiful, and my takeaway is to stop looking at the crowd and look at Jesus, cause I like to think that I'm not looking at the crowd, like I ignore the part of my inner voice that looks at the crowd, and I pretend like I'm not listening, but I am, and it can really get me in a yucky place, and so just to keep my eyes on Jesus and go after him, let it be risky, our words that are going to ring in my heart. So, abby and Amy, this has been so awesome. You guys touched on so many things that I know our listeners needed to hear, just from women and girls that I have listened to just in recent months. Even you have no idea the encouragement that you've brought. Thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having us is very encouraging for us as well. That's how the Lord works, right?
Speaker 3:You pray about it you have a plan, but then you always walk away with more than what you gave. Thank you, guys, so much for joining us for this episode. If it encouraged, you pass it on and make sure you've subscribed to the podcast If you haven't before. We do not want you to miss a single episode in this series and the series that are to come. You know, as we have said, we exist to see the next generation live out their faith with resilience and courage. So we create tools that help you have meaningful conversations with the girls in your life, similar to the conversations that we have here on the podcast. So we have linked some resources for you in the show notes. Make sure that you check those out and that you step out, encourage, gather some girls and have a conversation about what it means to be seen, known and loved by God. We love you guys and we hope to see you back here next week for episode two in the seen, known, loved series.