Welcome to your Bible Cafe™ as we begin our study based on the book Anonymous: Discovering the Somebody You Are to God by Cindi Wood. For this womens online Bible study you’ll study these women in the Bible who were without names: Invisible, Judged, Hurting, Ordinary, and Shame. While their stories were recorded in Biblical history, their names were not. This is how we get the Bible study title “Anonymous” from Cindi Wood.

As you being the study you will see author Cindi Wood combines biblically based teaching with humor from daily experience. Have you read any of her other books? I have enjoyed the Frazzled Female devotional as Cindi writes with humor, grace, and love. Reading her book is like having a girlfriend sitting beside me at the coffee shop. She writes as she would “speak” across the table. She’s not preachy and does not elevate her language, so I find her lessons easy to follow.

In this study, we examine the unnamed women in the Bible. Maybe you’re like me and you felt invisible as a child. I grew up when it was common for parents to say “Children should be seen and not heard.” Taking this literally, I learned to be silent and not express myself. Maybe you did too.

As students of the Bible let’s turn this around. How do you feel about God’s opinion of you, being different from the world’s opinion? For me personally, I love that God sees me with His eyes and heart! What a refreshment for my soul.

Do you remember the Bible story about Esther? She was orphaned, raised by an uncle, lacked a mother, and then selected for a king’s harem. Through all this, Esther trusted God and saw herself through His eyes.

Some people like to keep a spiritual journal as they study the Bible. Do you have a place to record your favorite moments with God? I keep a Journal and record daily prayers, wisdom, and gratitude. Looking through the journal allows me to see where my heart was touched by His. My prayer is that you will see yourself in His story too.

Do you think the Bible stories of the anonymous women are relevant for today, or outdated? These stories of God’s love are relevant yet the historical content -patriarch society- is different today. Today women are more independent and more visible.

Think about it. No little girl wants to grow up feeling invisible. What advice would you give to encourage a five-year-old? I would tell her to love herself as you are. Don’t change yourself to please others, earn awards, or compete in a race called life. Live for Jesus as his Bride.

Let’s live our life story with Jesus at the center of our hearts.

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Christine Abraham writes for the Bible Cafe™ community. Learn about living by the Fruit of the Spirit as you enjoy her online Bible studies. Join Christine at the Bible Cafe™ University for weekly Bible teaching.