A few weeks ago, I got to meet my Revive Our Hearts grandma. What’s a Revive Our Hearts grandma? Let me back up a little.
I’ve always loved intergenerational Bible study. When we started at a new church, I immediately sought out the primary women’s Bible study as an opportunity to get connected. I saw there was a Bible study just for moms of littles, but I knew the value of opening God’s Word with women in different seasons and circumstances.
I thought I couldn’t be the only young mom at the main women’s Bible study, and I guess I was right, because there was one other woman who still had toddlers. We sat at different tables, but a few weeks into the study I made up a flimsy excuse to introduce myself to her. I walked up to her table on the other side of the room and said, “I like your Bible.” It was cheesy, but it was all the introduction we needed for Sarah to become one of my dearest friends.
I didn’t know Sarah long before she started texting me links to her favorite Revive Our Hearts podcast episodes. I knew about Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, of course—I had a copy of Lies Women Believe sitting on my shelf—but I had never heard the Revive Our Hearts podcast. As soon as I started listening, I discovered that the ROH podcast offered the same kind of wisdom and varied life experiences that I sought in intergenerational Bible study.
In the last year, I’ve been unable to attend the intergenerational Bible study because of preschool scheduling conflicts, but Revive Our Hearts has become the next best thing in this season. In listening to its programming, I’ve become part of a group of women opening God’s Word together and following hard after Jesus. But I’ve also found my relationship with Sarah deepening as we share what we learn through Revive Our Hearts.
My Revive Our Hearts Grandma’s Story
At a birthday party for Sarah’s daughter, I unexpectedly met Colleen, the woman who had introduced Sarah to Revive Our Hearts many years ago. I had to know how my “Revive Our Hearts grandma” had discovered this ministry. She was happy to share her Revive Our Hearts story with me.
I was in my first year of marriage. I was struggling with unmet expectations and focused on the ways that I believed my husband was falling short. While I had many Christian friends, I didn't share my struggles or seek someone to mentor me through the season I was in. Through recordings of a True Woman Conference, I was faced with the glorious truth of Scripture, and I was deeply encouraged to humbly see myself before the Lord and ask for strength to encourage and support my husband. It was the truth I needed to hear, but I had not humbled myself to the point of seeking relationships in which I would hear it.
God is so good! I soon discovered I could hear a message Monday through Friday! Biblical womanhood, God’s Word, and encouragement—five days a week. I soon became a champion not only of ROH, but of God’s Word and His ways. Instead of holding tightly to my struggles, I started to share. As I told my friends about my own issues, a link to one of the latest ROH messages was usually not far behind. The freedom that accompanies resting in the truth was very real to me then and continues to be now.
I’m grateful that God used ROH to offer me much-needed mentorship and also give me freedom to share with my close Christian friends my struggles and God’s grace in them. I’m grateful for the truth that was poured into me and the fruit that resulted. God is so good! I have been encouraged by hours and hours of women sharing truth out of love for God and love for one another.
Pass It Along—It Starts with You!
Colleen’s testimony is probably like many of yours. You stumbled across a recording or blog post and discovered the hope in Christ that this ministry proclaims. But I wonder if you’ve shared it with a friend the way Colleen shared it with Sarah and Sarah shared it with me. Passing along a blog post or sharing a podcast episode can be the perfect opportunity for you to share more openly about your own story and struggles. If this ministry is a blessing to you, I encourage you to tell others. Share your story in the context of these teachings and watch how God uses this ministry to not only deepen your faith but also your friendships. Who knows, you may just become someone’s Revive Our Hearts grandma in the process.
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