A Lineage of Grace

So I just finished this book today, it's called A Lineage of Grace, by Francine Rivers. It's basically an omnibus, made up of 5 stories of 5 different women in the bible: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. The stories focus on how these 5 women all had tremendous impact on their world and stood out in a time when women were not seen as being fit for much other than child bearing.

Tamar was betrayed by every man she ever needed to rely on, yet she put her faith in a God she knew nothing about but could not deny.
Rahab was a prostitute whose heart called out to the God of the Hebrews. She risked her life to protect the Israelite spies in the hope that God would redeem her.
Ruth left behind her family and everything she knew to follow her mother-in-law to a life of seeming destruction because she trusted that God could always turn any situation around.
Bathsheba was an adulteress who loved a King and betrayed a nation, but her trust in God and his goodness allowed her to raise a King even greater and wiser than David.
Mary was a peasant girl whose desire to please God allowed her to bear a Son who would be the Light of the world.

All of these women knew hardship. They knew heartache and fear and pain. They were scorned and ridiculed and looked down on. But they did not bow to their circumstances. They would not allow perceptions to govern them and they fought for what they believed in. I read their stories and feel shamed at my own selfishness. I do not face the obstacles they did - I would not be stoned for commiting adultery, or be put on the shelf I did not have a husband or a son to look after me, yet I am so quick to complain when things don't go the way I want them to. I condemn easily and forgive grudgingly. And yet I am encouraged when I read these stories, because every one of these women faced internal struggles and battles, and they did not have victory every time they faced opposition, but God saw fit to use them to change the course of history. Every one of them is in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Because they were willing to be used and shaped for whatever was in their future they played key roles in the worlds they were part of, and they even merit mentioning in the bible. Now THAT'S what I call a legacy.

So maybe I DON'T need to be perfect for God to use me...