Who do you want to be like when you grow up? What women in your life can captivate you through their stories while encouraging you with their wisdom? We all know at least one person that makes us grip our cup of tea a little tighter and lean in a bit further across the table so that we don’t miss one word that falls from their lips.

In a chaotic world of all sorts, I’m always looking for experienced women who are further along in their journey. I want to glean from their hard-won knowledge. In the discussion you will hear today, I had the opportunity to talk with a woman who I want to be like when I grow up. Her name is Jill Briscoe, and I’m sure that her stories will draw you in as they did me. I truly felt like a young girl sitting at the feet of her grandmother as I listened to her wisdom. 

No doubt, you also will be fascinated by Jill’s stories of entering hard places and being faithfully obedient even when it was challenging to keep going. Jill’s life is marked by her service to others and Christ through her ministry with her husband, Stuart, her prolific writing and speaking career, and through loving her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. 

I have considered this idea of leaving a legacy since losing my mom. I’ve asked the question to women ahead of me in life: what does it look like to purposefully and intentionally live a life that gives those coming after something to aspire to? Jill reminded me that legacy is never something that happens overnight. It’s not just a half-hearted commitment, but rather a long-range view, a steady intersection of discipline, perseverance, and never-ending grace. 

So often, when we think of spiritual giants, those women who seem to have used every drop of their life to serve Jesus fearlessly, we believe they somehow got a special dose of courage to do all that God has called them to. But Jill’s life is proof that sometimes you just have to learn how to do the thing frightened. Listen, I don’t know who needs to hear that, especially right now, but perhaps the highest discipline and rhythm we can cultivate in our lives is a spirit that is willing to press into the fear and do it anyway. As Jill says, “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”

I know life feels like it is spiraling out of control in more than one way in these uncertain times, and that is why I think conversations like this are so meaningful. Listen to the words of the generation ahead of us. They’ve lived through the world seemingly falling apart on more than one occasion, and yet they have walked through the fires with their faith intact. It is through conversations like this one that we can find the strength and the courage to keep going when all seems lost. 

We aren’t trying to make it just part of the way when it comes to this walk of faith. No, we want the kind of trust in Christ that carries us all the way home. So, as Solomon says in Proverbs, “Walk with the wise and become wise.” (Proverbs 13:20 NIV) Let the wisdom of Jill inspire you to press on, push through, and do what you are called to do despite the fear, doubt, and all that threatens to derail you. Let Jill and her journey with Jesus encourage you in yours to make it all the way home. 

 

Highlights from Today’s Episode:

  • Leaving a legacy that matters
  • Learning to do things scared 
  • Starting where you are right now 
  • Sharing the gospel with urgency

Resources from today’s show 

Click to Tweet 

  • “It’s all the way home. It’s not take up our cross and go three-quarters of the way. It’s all the way home.”- Jill Briscoe
  • “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”- Jill Briscoe (original quote by Dorthy Bernard) 
  • “You can’t start too young because you never know how many days you’ve got.”-Jill Briscoe

Other Stuff to Check Out

Let’s Talk!

After you’ve listened to the podcast, I’d love to continue the conversation. Be sure and leave a comment!

  1. How can you be intentional about establishing meaningful relationships?
  2. In what areas of your life are you still searching for belonging?
  3. What has kindness looked like for you?
  4. What are ways that you can engage with people and communities different from your own?
  5. In reflecting on your own story, how have your experiences shaped how you view the world?

Connect with me…

How to Listen to The Podcast

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