I Am, The Woman at the Well

I am the woman at the well....

The Samaritan Woman..... You may know her as The Woman at the Well. In the Gospel of John, chapter 4 we read her story. 

Until this past year, everything I've ever been taught about this woman was bad "bad woman!"

All my life, the words that came to mind, portrayed in shows and films that I saw concerning her and sermons and lessons taught were; sleazy, cheater, loose, but yes, also because of those things an outcast, ashamed, made fun of ridiculed....

This year, something has changed in me. My 50th year.....my Pentecost. As it comes to an end in the close of April, (29th if you'd like to ... You know.... Remember that?) let me share with you what God has taught me about the Samaritan Woman (the Woman at the Well) - and about being His daughter. His Baby Girl. 

I've always been drawn to the story of this woman. I've always felt like there was more to it than what I was hearing, and in the last couple of years God has placed such a huge desire in me to dig deeper. To study Jewish customs and practices, to read more, ask for more wisdom and I've been doing that. I still have SO MUCH to learn. However I saw a song on my YouTube feed one day entitled Woman At the Well. I listened and fell in love. In my own way, I could relate to the song. But there was one little piece (I can't even tell you what it was now, and that's not important) that got me to thinking more about her. About the time she lived in. It was God's prodding that lead me to finding out a few things and coming to some conclusions that day. 

Not only in those days did the Jewish people despise Samaritan's, but women were not respected. They were considered as dirty and unworthy as dogs or pigs. (Click this link)

Secondly, Hitler wasn't the first to displace Jewish people (God's people) from their land. The Samaritans came from Assyria, and the Assyrians deported TWENTY THOUSAND JEWS from Israel in 722B.C. (mostly upper class citizens) and replaced them with pagans. 

Next I learned that women couldn't even CHOOSE to divorce at that time. The ONLY way they could, and it was rare, is if a male sponsor (most likely a family member) took up their case. It had to be REALLY BAD for that to happen. God never intended men and women to be apart. He created US together in His image. He intended for every couple to stay together and procreate and to be faithful to one another loving each, protecting serving, laughing, crying with each other because that's Who He is and What He does. But with sin entering the world and humans deciding to do things their own way, women were pushed to the bottom of the pile and if a man didn't like the one he married, well, he was abandoning her for no good reason. She didn't listen well enough. She didn't cook the way he liked. She only gave him daughters (which was actually his doing but he didn't know that), he didn't like her odor, how she was in bed, her habit of blinking her eyes too much .. You get the jist. 

Women, who couldn't own land, had nothing and were abandoned by the men who were sworn to love and protect, became instant outcasts. Married one day and blessed with a home and children; maybe even land and servants became homeless and unwanted in the blink of an eye.  So God, through Moses told them this isn't right. You're making these women commit adultery by leaving them husbandless and not able to marry and be cared for again in any way. So Moses commanded the men, to give them a certificate of divorce so they could at least marry again and with a clear heart. 

And then as I read through the story several times in different Bibles that I have, just to be sure, God revealed something else to me. No where did Jesus say to her "Go, and sin no more," As he had others during his ministry. He told her .... A woman...a Samaritan outcast that He is the Messiah!!

So could it be then, that we have had her ALL WRONG? This broken and battered sweet soul?

Could it be, that God, through Jesus, our loving, kind compassionate God, was showing by example, how He loves His baby girls?

Jesus not only went Out Of His Way, that day to go through Samaria, but He did it to meet with her.  Jesus, alone talking to a woman who was alone... something that was highly frowned upon in the culture of that day.  A woman who went to the well in the hottest part of the day to avoid ridicule because the other women said things like,

"there she is. She can't satisfy ANY man." 

"I heard She can't cook,"

"well I heard she stinks,"

"She only produces girls"

"Two of her husband's DIED!! she must be cursed!"

Or

"She's barren"

Jesus knew she wasn't perfect, she had even made mistakes along the way, but she never deserved to be tossed aside multiple times by men who promised to love, cherish and honor her. Protect her!!!  Men who each thought her beautiful and kind enough that they wanted her, wanted to marry her and commit their lives and land to her and then tossed her aside. She was so hurt and scared when she lost her first and then second husband to death just like Tamar in the Holy Scriptures.  Every one of them wanted to make love to her, so they married her, used her and abandoned her in one way or another. A situation that would force her to marry again and again because without doing so, who was she? A woman with nothing. Nothing but heartache, shame and embarrassment wether it was hers to bare or not, it was placed on her. 

"Not another one!" They would say....

Then came the whispers, the gossip and the name calling ...

Could it be that this man she was living with that was not her husband was someone who said "listen, I'll take you in. You'll be mine to use. You'll cook for me and take care of my home and children but I will not marry you." And without many options left other than to beg for food on the streets, maybe even resort to prostitution to feed herself, she said in a tired and weary tear filled sigh "ok." And followed him home like the dog she had been taught to allow herself to be treated like. 

Then Jesus.

He chose her. 

He spoke with her when no one else did. 

He took everything she was feeling downcast, unloved and unworthy over and lifted her head up so her eyes met His. And she knew there was something different about this man. 

Not only did He know it all, HE LOVED HER ANYWAY!! He loved her Because of, and in Spite of!!

Not only did He love her, HE CHOSE HER. HER!! I so wish I knew her name and can't wait to meet her someday and find out, but for the sake of this blog, and what I'm trying to tell YOU I'm going to loan her my name. 

Julie

He chose Julie, the Woman at the Well, to reveal Himself to. To be the very first one He ever told, I AM HE!!

He chose Julie (give her your name) to say hey, I'm enough! I've got you and we've got this!  I know your heart has been shattered. I know you've been tossed aside. You married ______and I saw it all, he died and you were heartbroken.  It's ok. I'm here!!! Then you married______and were so happy for a short while until he died in a farming accident.  My precious daughter, you are not as they say. You are not cursed. I know that ____ divorced you because of your medical condition.  Babygirl, there's nothing to be ashamed of, that's just YOU!!!  And down the list he went as they talked about each one and she finally got to talk to someone who listened, understood ...... Loved Unconditionally. Someone who SAW HER. Her heart, her soul, her tears.  

She told the others in her city that "He told me everything I ever did" so we know there was more to the conversation they had than what we're told. I imagine there were moments of Him saying "I know you did this out of your pain..... You shouldn't have done this" she repented and he forgave. I bet they laughed together and cried together. She was broken. Broken people cry. Especially when they are shown compassion for the first time in a long time. 

Now here, within my fiftieth year, my pentecost, Jesus has revealed Himself to me in such a more powerful way. He's become all I need. All I want. All I WANT to desire.

In this 50th year I stopped trying to figure out why my 'picker' is so bad. I stopped trying to figure out "why do I do this, and why did this person do that."

I started to be grateful for the things I've walked through that almost.. ALMOST took me out. I became free. Free from needing 'someone with skin on." I've told several friends that for me to ever try earthly love again, God would have to place him right in front of me, with a neon sign that says "THIS ONE" God Himself be standing directly behind him because they're THAT CLOSE.  Jesus is his first love and way more important to him than I am and maybe.... Just maybe.. At the same time slap me a little just so I'm sure! (God, not the man) 😂

Jesus is my ride or die. If I roll out of the rest of my years with just Him, I'll be great. Because I know that's what I needed.  If He brings me a "perfect for me match," that will do ministry with me, great. I only want what God wants for me. Nothing more, nothing less. But I'm not searching. 

This past year I started speaking again and have (I feel weird saying it but ..) preached at 3 women's conferences. 

This past year I forgave myself. Fell back in head over heels love with my First Love. Became bolder. A better friend. A better mom. I laugh again.... All the time and cry way less over sadness and more over the joy in my heart - my thankfulness. 

I have this message to share with other women. It's my calling. Because we've all walked through hard things and felt cast aside. In relationships, by our own bodies, by friends... He is El ROI - The God Who Sees Me. (Genesis 16)

When no one else does. He does. You are never alone. He sees. He knows. And He loves you. You are His. He has engraved you in the palm of His hand! (Isaiah 49:6)

I had been planning, preparing and praying over a Women's Conference coming up.  The focus is The God That Loves Women. 

On my way home from work one day I was listening to a song I never heard before. I try to usually only listen to my Jesus Jams, but this is a country song.  As I listened to him sing "she's the beauty in the struggle" my heart changed it to "I found beauty through the struggle"

My relationship with Christ wouldn't be what it is today without the struggle. 

As I tweaked the words a little in my head and thought of it that way, it became much more meaningful to me. The tears started to flow and then I had yet another thought.

I thought about the women I will be ministering to, and about you, the reader.  Suddenly, I could imagine Jesus.... Telling His Father:

"Look Father, look at this one.... She's been abused and neglected, but look how beautiful she is. How faithful she remains to You."

"And this one Father, I've seen this one overcome so many physical issues!!! Yet look at that smile!"

"This one was all but forgotten about, look how she keeps loving others anyway!"

"I looked all around, and I found this one ... Look how bright she shines!"

"Like butterflies, or a baby being born, the struggle did not destroy her....it brought out her beauty

She's The Beauty In The Struggle!! So Beautiful.  Just like the Samaritan Woman ❤️"

"She met the Savior of the World!"

She's The Beauty in the Struggle

*A beautiful update to this story in the post titled Redeemed!"

Woman at the Well