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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

The Woman at the Well

I am reading Desperate Woman of the Bible by Jo Kadlacek, and just finished the chapter on the Samaritan woman.

Jo asked what we learned about the meaning of “passion” from her story.

I wrote that she refused to accept a ho-hum existence. She longed for the “abundant life” that Jesus described elsewhere. She sought meaning and passion in any way possible, including inappropriate ones.

So when she met Jesus—POW! He was what she had sought all along, and because of her life-long search, she knew Him when she found Him. And grabbed hold and wouldn’t let go.

As I wrote, I thought of Jolene.

How many conversations did we have in the past year when she railed “Why doesn’t the church …”

What she expected was what the church should be: a haven, a loving family. That they should call her when she was absent, recognize her and greet her enthusiastically when she was there. At a minimum.

I love my church, and they went to extraordinary lengths to help us when Jolene died. But I will admit … it can be lonely. The month we joined, we sat alone at a fellowship to welcome new members, while old members carried on lively conversations.

So I tried to tell Jolene, “You’re right but … they just don’t act that way. It’s nothing to do with you personally.”

She refused to accept a ho-hum church, or a ho-hum existence. Whatever she did, she jumped into headfirst, with all the determination and enthusiasm contained in her body and soul.

Before she died, television ads had convinced her that she could make thousands of dollars a week through sales. She got so far in debt she could never repay and never made a single dollar. She plunged into finding a career with her limitless passion.

I wish Jolene’s story ended in success and transformation the way the Samaritan Woman’s did.

But her passion for living, her refusal to settle for second-best, touched many people.

2 comments:

jaranfranklin said...

Jolene truely was full of passion. Love you.

Mary Connealy said...

This is so true of church's. it's so hard to step out of your comfort zone when you're in a church. You sit the same place, visit with the same people during fellowship times. And sometimes church is the only time you see them. So newcomers don't get treated like they should.
It's something I recognize in myself and try to overcome but wow, it's so easy to not step out in faith. And of course we're called to do it every time.