It’s Week 4 in the Finding Encouragement in Troubling Times study I’m participating in.

{Miss Week 1?  Miss Week 2?  Miss Week 3?}

About the Book
It’s easy for Christians to be strong in their faith when they are comfortable–in their church, in a small-group, in their family. But what happens if they are faced with prison, poverty, and pain? Life is more demanding than ever before. Finances are tight, relationships are stressed, and disappointments are common. Why is it so hard to stand up for God during these troubling times?

The letter of 1 Peter was heard by women who knew times like these. This newest addition to the Sue Edwards Inductive Bible Study series digs into 1 Peter and takes a look at the stories of real women–past and present–to teach today’s woman how to stand faithful to God regardless of her trials, however severe.

About the Author: Sue Edwards (MA, Dallas Theological Seminary; D.Min., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) teaches full-time in the Christian Education Department at Dallas Theological Seminary. She has more than twenty-five years of experience teaching, pastoring, and directing women’s ministries. In addition, Sue speaks at retreats, conferences, and seminars across the country. She is the coauthor of Women’s Retreats and New Doors in Ministry to Women, and the author of the Sue Edwards Inductive Bible Study series.

This Mom’s Review: Week 4

This week’s study was hard to swallow.   I am at fault for teaching vengeance to my children.  They’ve seen me get mad and say how I’m going to get back at someone, more than once.

So, why am I shocked, when I see my children acting out the same scenario, just with a different offender?  I never acted out my vengenance, I was just blowing off steam.  Yet, that doesn’t matter.  My children learn from my example!  Ouch!  I will be reading this week’s Scripture {1 Peter 2:11-25}, so that they can see God’s way of doing things!

Slowing down to really look at this Scripture, God’s way actually makes sense.  Looking at all the time I’ve wanted to get revenge – and maybe did – the outcome wasn’t good.  Either the retaliation kept escalating as it went back and forth or I just let bitterness linger within so long that I became unhappy and hateful all the way around.

We can actually shock people when we are nice and choose not to retaliate.  Sometimes the shock can even lead to someone wanting to know why our response was so different, and that’s when we have the prime opportunity to lead that person to Jesus Christ!  I want these opportunities!  I wonder how many I’ve lost over the years, because I chose to be selfish and vengeful.

One thought the permeates my heart is this:  If Jesus chose to withstand physical suffering {torture}, then why can’t I withstand the mild sufferings and trials that have come my way?

I am looking forward to Week 5!

I received a copy of the above study book from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest review.