The Lady on the Hill: Discipleship Walk
Martha Olawale
“That is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Romans 1:12
It was a bright, sunny, and beautiful April morning, and everything seemed perfect except that I’d be leaving home later in the day to go for the Discipleship Walk. I’ve looked for every excuse in my book because I believed I didn’t need to go. My walk with God is steady, and I am devoted to living out my faith unapologetically. It took a nudge from the Holy Spirit to sign up to take a whole weekend off and head to a place I’d never been or wanted to be.
As my husband dropped me off that evening, all I could think about was how long a weekend I was about to have. I consoled myself, knowing I’d be with Christians and there would be worship and prayer time. Little did I know I was about to take a leap with God and learn things about my walk with Him that I didn’t realize I needed to know. As we walked toward the building to sign in and drop off my bag, I saw a friend who seemed more excited about the prospect of my pending trip than I was.
I embraced Solomon’s advice in Proverbs 4:23 to guard my heart diligently. But I’ve added people who should not be on the list to it. Outside Church and my life group, I’ve always loved my time alone with God; sharing a weekend with “strangers” was simply uncomfortable. I think better in solitude, so that evening, when I heard I still had about thirty minutes to wait for the drive down, I left the room and went outside to sit on a little hill. I needed to take all the alone time before I wiggled through the crowd for seventy-plus hours.
Seeing a smiling face walk toward me on the hill that evening was the beginning of the greatest warmth I’d felt from that many people in one weekend. I’ll later learn that when Cierra looked back and saw me sitting alone, she knew I didn’t want to be there and walked to me to help crack the ice that God melted through my different encounters that weekend.
After worship, God’s love is my favorite thing to talk about or write about. However, this weekend highlighted something God needed to correct in my perspective. It’s been God and I for so long that even my favorite human (my husband) can only take a few steps beyond the walls I’ve built up to fellowship with God. I love the little room I’ve created for the Trinity in my heart, and I’ve lived my Christian life and walked the path thinking God loves to fellowship with Martha a little more than with other Christians.
It took a reluctant journey from a hill at Northview Church, Carmel, to the cold, wet road of Discipleship Walk 150 and sitting at Martha’s table surrounded by a beautiful group of God’s beloveds, to see why I needed the weekend. As I looked at the faces of all the women around me, I saw my father’s face shine through them. Through their stories, struggles, and triumphs, I received strength, and while none of us were perfect, we are each a masterpiece in the hands of a loving God who is relentless in His pursuit of us. I remember saying to my roommate, “Why would anyone want to be anything but Christian?”
In my few years as a Christian, I’ve attended conferences, revivals, Church membership classes, and even an intensive three-week-long Bible school, but this was different. It was the most intentionally Christian crowd I’ve ever seen: imperfect people in God’s perfect hands. Love flowed, grace abounded, and the joy of Heaven flourished. For a moment, you could forget everything happening in the world and partake of the beauty of being surrounded by Christ's followers.
My life was positively altered at the Discipleship Walk because I needed the experiences for the next phase of my walk with God. I picked up a bucket full of gold nuggets that weekend, starting with Cierra’s intentionality in approaching the lady on the hill. I grew in love because I saw others love relentlessly, and I learned from how other women already passed different tests.
As Christians, we don’t have to live in a bubble because staying there will rob us of the wealth in the many Christians God sends our way. Life’s race comes with fierce winds, but we are not alone. God wants to enlarge us by cracking down all the walls we’ve built around ourselves. And while I treasure my secret place with Christ more than anything else in life, I’m learning to allow others into that space sometimes and step into theirs, too. I’m letting go to allow God to make me uncomfortable to comfort others and be comforted by them.
