Sarah Yardley shares how she felt restricted by the Bible. But her perspective changed when she read a certain chapter in the Old Testament.
Feeling Restricted By The Bible
There was a time when Sarah would read the Bible with the feeling that God was putting pressure on her. It was as if he was putting her in a box, and she was required to live her life under the regulations.
“And the containment of God’s word was such that it always was limiting and bounding my life,” she said.
As she continued to walk with Jesus, she became increasingly convinced that she had been making mistakes throughout the majority of her life But that changed now.
“The way I read scripture now is that it always lifts my eyes upward. The call of God as we read His word is always to see His kindness in our stories,” she said.
Feeling Restricted By The Bible, She Shifted Her Perspective
Now, every time Sarah read the scripture, she would always ask, “Where is the kindness of Jesu? Where is the tenderness of God? And where is the love, where is the laughter, where is the playfulness, where is the humor?”
A defining verse for Sarah is the passage in Isaiah 30:21. It says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (NIV).
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According to Sarah, there’s something about the intimacy in that passage that reminds her that God is close.
“He’s with us in our journeys. His kindness and His tenderness are towards us,” she added.
Sharing a Meal
Sarah then shared what God revealed when she read about Jesus’ last supper. “There’s just this little line that I’d never noticed before where it says that Jesus wanted to share a meal with them before his time of suffering.”
She added, “I was thinking about the enormous weight of Christ going to the Cross, carrying all the pains and wounds of humanity. And that what He wanted to do before He went was share a meal with a few of his friends before the time of His suffering.”
There is something about it that speaks to Sarah about the sense of community, the friends who walk with us on the path and remind us of the love of God even when our sorrow is immense. In addition, the companions who are with us bring both moments of joy and moments of suffering that cannot be described.
Reference: STREAMS STUDIO
Header image: Sarah Yardley [STREAM STUDIO]. YouTube, 25 October 2023, https://youtu.be/vSwZhlRSrjE
