NC Member Spotlight - Redeeming Time (Maya Bam)

We have been through some hard months, and though there seems to be a faint light quivering at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, it is too far away to decide whether it is real or just a figment of our imagination.

I often think about the words Dr. Jim Coffield spoke during our Maundy Thursday zoom call: Lord, let me not waste this time! This sentence highlights a question of great importance that I have been praying about: what does faithfulness look like in this season? The particulars of this question are different for everyone, but for my specific situation of living alone and exercising an abundance of caution due to my type 1 diabetes, my translation of this question became: how do I glorify God in my isolation?

For me the answer to this question, and thus the theme of the past year was study. I read many many books (72 to be precise!), listened to countless podcasts, and spent much time soaking in, reflecting on, and discussing all the things I learned. And this year of study and growth has made a profound impact on all areas of my life. Here are a few examples.

1.     My relationship with God. Learning more about God and His character helped me be more firmly grounded in trusting Him and His sovereignty in these difficult times. I have learned and continue to practice praying the truth into my heart that nothing slips by God, He is in charge. Even if it seems to me that things are not as they should be, God is in control. And even if I will not come to understand His purpose on this side of eternity, I can continue to trust Him, because He is good. Although I always knew all this was true at the end of the day, I have learned to take this as a starting point rather than an end point, so that all my thinking and actions start from these truths.

I also learned much about prayer this past year: to pour all my heart out before God, and to have a posture of open hands that are willing to accept whatever God would give to me, and not cling to my heart’s desires.

2.     My relationship with people. As much as learning is an individual activity, it is also a communal activity. One can learn so much more from a text, Biblical or any other, when discussing it with others. I have been going through The Wonderful Works of God by Herman Bavinck for the past 8 months (slowly, but surely!) with two other faithful women of New City. This group study has been an incredible blessing for our spiritual growth and knowledge of God. But another wonderful gift that came of this study is true fellowship with one another. As we have been learning about God, we have also learned to know one another, pray for one another, walk alongside each other in good and difficult times. And though soon we will arrive at the end of the book (hopefully!), the fellowship we cultivated will last far beyond it.

3.     How I continue to study. Learning more and understanding more has given me a higher appreciation and desire for Scripture than I had before. It also helps me get much more out of the sermons I listen to, because I can’t help but see connections to what I read or heard somewhere else earlier. This helps expand each sermon into a much bigger context and make them take deeper roots in my heart.

As I have been experiencing all these fruits of learning, I have had an ever-stronger desire to continue to learn more and experience these and other blessings more and more. For this reason, this season – despite its difficulties – has been an incredibly valuable season for me. Though I assume (and hope!) that it will come to an end at some point, so that another season might begin, what I have learned will help me seek and find what faithfulness should look like in that new season as well.