Fruit of COVID-19

One of my New Testament professors once shared an illustration I hope to never forget.

He held his Bible over his head, saying, “This is how we are to view God's Word. It’s always above us. Everything is under it.”

This illustration instilled in me how His Word is my ultimate authority, and nothing is above it.

This professor and others at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) made a positive impact on my faith in the classes I took after enrolling in early 2020. I applied to the Biblical Women’s Institute at the seminary in January, long before I ever realized COVID-19 would be a concern in the U.S., before guidelines and restrictions encroached on our lives. I was hungry to learn all that I could about God and His Word, and this was an opportunity that was affordable and convenient.

And, as it so happened, the timing was fruitful. Like most working adults that year, I was asked to work at home for an indefinite amount of time starting around mid-March. This was the same month my first online class started. It worked out well. After all, I had nowhere to go anyway.

On weekdays, I did the constant and often chaotic work of a digital news reporter and, after that work ended, I would open my laptop and watch a lecture or complete an assignment. This became a discipline that lasted through spring 2022, when I finished my program, taking one online class at a time.

I am blessed to be a member of a local church that is faithful to the teaching and preaching of God’s Word, but this opportunity allowed me to enhance my faith as I explored God's Word in a deeper and more instructional way. Yes, it was very academic in nature, but it opened my mind and heart up to insights that have now become foundational to my faith. I learned about genres in the Bible and how they are intended to be read; Old Testament covenants and why land was such an emphasis for the Israelites; and how the law was a gift from a holy God. I learned how to survey the big picture of a Bible passage and how to put a small-group lesson together. I learned Church history, tips for counseling women, and so much more.

Even though at the time I had no idea how the Lord would use all I was gaining through my time at SEBTS—I truly just wanted to learn more about Him and be able to study my Bible better—I am seeing fruit of it today. While this experience not only enhanced my personal Bible study, to my delight it also equipped me to lead others into deeper study themselves and to minister to them with Christ-like compassion.

Today, in 2024, I co-lead a women’s small group at my church and get to mentor younger women in my community. My quiet times are richer experiences, too, because I now dive into God’s Word more confidently and yet humbly, keeping in mind that image of God’s Word above me. I understand that all Scripture is profitable and equips us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

My intention with those whom God places in my life to shepherd or minister to is to show them the joy of knowing Christ. To know Christ is to love Christ, and everything else flows from that love.

God marked a period of time known for isolation, fear, sickness, and death as a season of spiritual growth for me. He has been faithful to build upon that foundation of growth and learning and to allow me to share it with others so that they may be rooted and grounded in love, having strength to comprehend with all the saints the breadth and length and height and depth of His love, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:17-18).

To Him be the glory forever.