Tag: bible

A Fair View

On By mygodroomIn blessings, gratitude, Leverage, marriage, obedience, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Thank you, Jesus, for letting me breathe deeply today.

It’s after six and other than placing an order earlier, this is the first time I’ve touched the computer. Of course, I am running straight to My God Room to chat with you in writing. Still, I appreciate the way you navigated this day for me in photos and images.

Struggling with this letter and website hasn’t been a typical struggle. It feels like it’s meant to be this way for reasons I just don’t see yet. You showed me a bajillion words and feelings in some key photos. Perhaps the most loving way to explain “Why the BPC White Belt” is to pick 12 photos to represent the heart of what you are showing me. At present, there are more than twelve and I trust you will be the Grand Master of Editing, as well.

Thank you for keeping me so incredibly busy for YOU and for giving my writing a necessary rest. You know exactly how you wired me. You’ve had me creating, pondering, praying and simply loving everyone on my path. Today, you connected me to Brittany, mom of four, and let me meet her sweet kiddos, Sage and Ryman. Thank you for her sweetness, honesty and willingness to consider how Jiu-jitsu may be a great solution to benefit her. What a wonderful day it’s been at CV with our customers. Maurice’s smile and KO talking about his five years of BJJ before hip replacement last year. I praise you for all of it.

I believe you closed our Smyrna Community Vapor so I would find my jiu-jitsu community at One Nation Jiu-Jitsu. You know how grateful I am for everyone there. I am still closing my eyes from time to time to remember how radiant Mushaffa’s face was two weeks ago. Somewhere, I have written about it but I don’t think it ever got posted in here. In short, to be witness to the spark which was evident on Mushaffa’s beautiful face when a move clicked was encouraging to me. I know she has only been rolling about three weeks more than I have. In short, it was humbling and exciting in the same breath. It felt good to miss her last Sunday and yet pray she and her sweet family had a blessed trip to Costa Rica. I’m looking forward to seeing all the women at class tomorrow.

You’ve given me a full week without writing here for your good purposes. I may not know all of the details yet, but the one thing that is crystal clear is that there will be a very public letter to serve as the landing page of Jiu-Jitsu Wilderness. #ISWYDT.

Letters, letters, and more letters. Hey, Hey Hey—-I remember it is the fifth letter in Hebrew and in YHWH’s name.

You do like to teach me things based on things you’ve had me to write down. I just learned there are roughly 442 public posts in the entirety of My God Room, spanning nearly ten years. I’ve just had my eyeballs attacked by counting how many posts since May 8.

Holy Mother of Pearl and Praise you, Father God! You are the Master of the Universe and clearly the Master of My God Room.

Considering I haven’t posted anything in 8 days, this is still my 19th post in November. There were 48 in October. You CLEARLY had me busy. That is 67 in the past two months alone.

Add another 20-September, 13-August, 25-July, 29 in June and 5 in May. That is another 92.

159 posts since May 8.

Yippee! More than 33 percent of “My God Room” has been posted since May 8. I am not surprised. You know me, Jesus. I’m giddy each time you teach me anything. But in nearly ten years, I don’t think I’ve ever posted this much in such a relatively short time. I know mathematically it’s closer to 35 percent. I am keeping in line with “dropping the 2” here. #YESSiR

Father God, thank you for cranking my spirit the way you did on May 8. It is proof to me that there are “good cranks”. 🤣🤣🤣 I won’t be using that language tomorrow at One Nation Jiu-Jitsu, as this is between us. Thank you teaching me to “drop the 2” and the pure gem you gave me in Lamentations 3:58. I love you.

Psalm 137:4

On By mygodroomIn blessings, gratitude, Leverage, obedienceLeave a comment

137.44 was a really important number yesterday in our business. It stood out immediately and the Lord made it clear enough that I couldn’t ignore it. He nudged me straight to Psalm 137, and specifically verse 4:

“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?”

And the moment I read that, I felt it. Not sadness—clarity. This wasn’t about sales. It was about assignment, and about how some things in life just quietly shift seasons without making a big dramatic announcement.

Fast-forward to today. I pull into One Nation Jiu-Jitsu, listening to Zahira Zachary singing “Stay” from my iTunes library—already deep in worship, already soft in my spirit—and when my Bluetooth disconnected as I parked, the exact same song was playing on the radio.

If that wasn’t a Godwink, then I don’t even know what qualifies anymore.

Inside the gym it was Q&A day. Tyrone and Matt were there, Geo was teaching as the black belt, and Jaden popped in. Coach Sadie and Coach Sam were around too. I watched them drill getting out of an anaconda and a couple of other tight spots, and then I asked my question about shrimping—the way your hips need to rotate, the angle, the mechanics. And I actually got a great answer. That’s something I need to drill again.

Then came the moment:
“Carol, do you want to roll today?”

And yes, of course I wanted to.
But I told them the truth. My plan is to roll on Sundays and Mondays, take Tuesday through Thursday to heal, and then come on Fridays and just feel it out.

Coach Sam said, “That’s wise.”
Not “wise for 57.”
Just… wise.

Right there, between the Godwink in the car and the confirmation on the mat, Psalm 137 started making sense. It wasn’t God saying, “Stop singing.” It was God saying something else to me.

There are times in life where the Lord lets you hang your harp—not in defeat, but in obedience. Not because the music is over, but because the location of the song is changing.

And then, as I sat with it, He brought me to the very last line in Psalms:

Psalm 150:6 — “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 137 is the moment the song pauses.
Psalm 150 is the moment the breath returns.

Yesterday felt like Psalm 137.
Today felt like Psalm 150.

Breath.
Clarity.
Rest.
Strength.
Direction.
A new song rising.

And all of it—from the strange sales number, to Zahira Zachary singing in stereo, to the wisdom on the mat—was the Lord saying:

“Daughter, you’re not in the foreign land anymore.
Breathe.
Move wisely.
Walk in the pace I give you.
And let everything that has breath in you—praise Me.”

Exactly the plan as I enter the quotes into a standard format. Thank you, Jesus.

Jiu-Jitsu Wilderness

On By mygodroomIn blessings, gratitude, Leverage, obedienceLeave a comment

There is no way on earth I could ever explain how God chooses to use me. I have written many times how Jesus love, love, LOVES to get me carried away with Him whenever I am isolated. More on that later. The point is the Holy Spirit moves mightily in me and through me whenever my husband is out of town.

Jiu-Jitsu Wilderness was “electronically born”around 2 am Sunday morning. By that. I’m I mean I purchased the websites around 2 am. As I am following wherever the Spirit leads, I need to pause the floodgates and catch my breath. Just breathe. The inception was on Saturday, as I was pondering how my earthly father would have been celebrating his 81st birthday “in three days”.

Suffice it to say that the Spirit showed me gifts He has given me and how I am to share those gifts His Way. That’s about as clear as I can get until certain steps are completed.

To say I am excited to share a gift with One Nation Jiu-Jitsu would be an understatement of epic proportions.

Despite being exhausted (yet highly energized in Spirit), I went to church without Mark yesterday. Obedience is KEY for me. I heard the best sermon possible about DIRT and truly felt Gen 2:7. We sang Trust and Obey and boy, oh boy, #ISWYDT

No doubt, It hit deeper to realize God literally breathed life into humanity. God didn’t do that for anything else, only for humanity. It’s beyond precious and powerful to me. I’ve known He was the breath in my lungs for a long time—- just felt it in palpable manner yesterday. It was invigorating. 💜✝️💜

Praise God!!! Praise, Praise and more Praise! #MOLA

Seriously, think about it with me. If the Earth shifted even a single degree on its axis—- our seasons, climates, oceans, and habitability would all be dramatically altered. Everything we call ‘normal’ depends on a razor-thin margin of balance — and Colossians 1:17 tells us exactly Who holds that balance together.

In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, leverage changes everything.

One inch, one angle, one shift of weight. And the universe works the same way. A single degree of tilt would undo life on Earth… yet He holds it steady. He is the Master of leverage. The One who keeps every angle exact so that we can stand, breathe, and roll. That’s My Jesus in his “red” belt…the FIRST and LAST GrandMaster in everything.

Invigorated as I was yesterday, of course I went to ONJJ yesterday, as well. What a difference one week and seven days can make in a persons life! My song, “Stay” found me on the way to the gym. I did manage to post about that as soon as class was over. When the Lord delivers a song the way He does with me, it must be honored. I think I posted it from the parking lot at the gym! From that same parking spot, Mark floored me in the best way —-he was already at the airport!

So why did my husband leave me in the Jiu-Jitsu Wilderness?

I wish my facetiousness and humor translated better here. Let’s just say I am a safe driver but my household has jokes about my driving and especially, my parking. 🤣. We’ve got nearly fifteen years of jokes about him leaving me or staying for the dog. We are silly and playful, indeed. In all seriousness, My sweet Gingerbeard Man left town to drive a U-Haul to a Wisconsin for our former employee (forever CV Family member), Jenn. It was the best gift we could offer her after twelve years of faithful service.

Facts? I am not fearful of anything except Holy Wrath. That said, I would not be comfortable driving a 20-26 foot loaded U-Haul and towing a car from Tennessee to Wisconsin, or anywhere else. It’s not my strength and my husband is the best driver I have ever known. We love Jenn and it was clear that our gift needed to be from our heart and God-given talents.

Mark made the drive joyfully, despite his exhaustion from our extra early Saturday morning commitment at Creekmont Church. We love our new church so much, he insisted on being present and then opening the shop for me. He knew I needed rest and he protects me (and the world 🤣) from “hyped up Carol”. Mark wasn’t upset that the Good Lord knocked me out so hard, I didn’t wake until after 3. He never said it was my fault for his late departure of 4:18—he was thrilled I received the true rest I needed.

My husband serves in so many ways like this one. One of my soul sisters, JoJo, knows we have jokes about his “Apostolic actions”, as well. Mark has helped her a few times with various “man tasks” around her home. He loves helping others and JoJo is always so authentic in her gratitude. Heck, Mark even gifted her some Eagle Rare Bourbon for her retirement party last year. He has such a generous heart and spirit!

Anywho, Mark left Saturday at 4:18 pm and was safely home 27 hours later. I picked him up shortly after 7:18 last night and we stopped to split a fantastic steak dinner.

While I have SO MANY BLESSINGS to write out and share, I am just tickled he was blessed to come home a day early. I sleep better when he is home, in general. But, I confess I was thrilled for several reasons and equally excited how he was blessed with no charge for cancelling a hotel reservation with less than an hour or two notice and for finding 95 dollars he forgot about on Venmo- how Jenn chose to pay for the gas and his airline ticket. And, bonus blessings like the flight attendant looking at his 6’5” frame and graciously telling him he was welcome to his favorite emergency section seating.

The extra added bonus blessings for me was being able to be present at ONJJ with Mushaffa and Miss Vee today. As this post has run quite long, there will be a separate post today to honor what God did at the gym.

What a GEM!

Thank you, Jesus, for this Jiu-Jitsu Wilderness with you. I praise YOU for all the colors, beauty, grace and my current position. I love, love, LOVE having your seatbelt around me. I love you. 💜✝️💜

Jesus Has My Back

On By mygodroomIn gratitude, Isaiah, Leverage, obedienceLeave a comment

This morning, I flipped to Isaiah 22–23—pages in my Bible that had never been marked, which is rare for me. And as soon as my eyes landed on the words, “You saw the breaches in the wall…” something in my spirit stirred. Breaches. Blind spots. Exposed places. The kinds of openings in jiu-jitsu that an opponent takes instantly.

Isaiah 22 is a picture of vulnerability—cracks in the defenses, unseen angles, places where we try to fix things ourselves. But the Spirit whispered, “Daughter, you do not guard your own back. I do.” Then chapter 23 shifts the tone completely. From judgment to sovereignty. From exposure to restoration. It is Yahweh saying:

“I see the openings. I see the places you cannot protect. And I will be the One who stands behind you.”

Not an accident.

Not a coincidence.

A setup.

Later, the Lord gave me a song—“Stay” by Zahriya Zachary—and as soon as I heard it, I felt the seatbelt.

That secure, unbreakable hold in jiu-jitsu when someone takes the back with intention, with closeness, with stability. The moment the song said, “If my head’s on Your chest, I can hear Your heartbeat,” it felt like the exact pressure of an arm across the shoulder. Then “If my hand’s in Your hand,” felt like the underhook that completes the seatbelt.

The whole song is a spiritual rear-mount revelation:

He closes the space between us He breathes life into me He anchors me He guides my movement He knows my soul He holds me with no holding back

This is the ultimate jiu-jitsu metaphor:

Jesus has my back.

And not loosely.

Not casually.

Not “spiritually symbolic.”

But in the most real, embodied way—like an instructor settling behind you to protect, to steady, to teach.

In jiu-jitsu, the back is the power position.

It is the safest place for you and the most dangerous place for whatever opposes you.

It is control, guidance, protection, and presence.

It is where the breath is felt most closely.

It is where trust is necessary and surrender is holy.

And today, the Lord gave me a picture of Himself taking my back with a perfect seatbelt grip—an embrace that says:

“I see every breach. I know every blind spot. You don’t have to defend what you can’t see.

Stay close to Me. Stay tethered.

Let My heartbeat steady you. Let My breath fill your lungs. I’ve got you.”

Isaiah 22 exposed the walls.

Isaiah 23 showed the restoration.

And the song “Stay” wrapped it all in the reminder:

“This is the gift of My great love—so stay.”

Stay close.

Stay tethered.

Stay held.

Stay in the position where He guides your movement and guards every unseen angle.

I love that my Savior has such a sense of humor.

He knew exactly how to speak to me today—

in the language of breath,

the language of the mat,

the language of intimacy,

the language of grappling,

the language of a daughter learning a new art and a new obedience.

Jesus has my back.

And because He does, I will stay.

Thank you, Jesus! Thank you for ONJJ. Please use Jiu-Jitsu Wilderness for YOUR GLORY.

Hey Hey Hey

On By mygodroomIn Deut, gratitude, obedienceLeave a comment

I woke up this morning with “Hey, hey, hey!” from Fat Albert in my head. It made no sense at first, but that’s exactly how the Lord works with me. He uses the oddest little threads to pull my attention toward something holy. And of course, once something like that hits my spirit, I can’t let it go. I looked it up and learned that Fat Albert first aired on November 12th of 1969 — and somehow the date, the repetition, the sound of that “hey, hey, hey” settled into me like a breadcrumb trail.

As with any word or message, I search Scripture.

Floodgates!

Hey — ה — the fifth letter. The breath of God. The soft exhale that changes everything. It’s the letter He added to Abram and Sarai when He made them Abraham and Sarah. It’s the letter of grace, revelation, openings, divine breath, the place where God says, “Behold.” The more I sat with it, the more I realized how much He has been teaching me through fives and breath and revelation without me even knowing the structure underneath it.

Hey isn’t just a sound; it’s an invitation. It’s the place where He breathes Himself into a life and names it again.

And I think that’s why it moved me. Because so much of my journey right now feels like one long, loving exhale from the Father — His breath over my bones, His breath over these scriptures He keeps circling me back to, His breath over my remembering. Every time He reminds me of a verse, every time something lines up in a way I can’t explain, every time I whisper “I see what You did there,” it’s hey. It’s His breath.

There are two “Heys” in His Holy Name YHWH. #ISWYDT

The fact that hey is the fifth letter just feels like another God-wink, because He has been speaking to me through fives for so long — grace on grace, breath upon breath, revelation after revelation. It’s the little openings He keeps giving me, the way He keeps showing me things at exactly the right moment. And it all started today with “Hey, hey, hey” echoing in my spirit from a cartoon that aired decades ago. Only God can take something like that and turn it into a doorway.

That’s what hey is for me now — a doorway, a breath, and the quiet reminder that He is always teaching me, always revealing Himself, always drawing my eyes back to Him.

I see what You did there, indeed! Thank you, Jesus!

The Fourth Mat

On By mygodroomIn gratitude, obedienceLeave a comment

Today was my fourth time on the mats at One Nation Jiu-Jitsu. Tyler was teaching and it is Q&A day — which meant the room felt open, curious, and full of little moments where someone else’s question unlocked something in me. Six men, myself, and the instructor… but I never once felt out of place.

I was completely present.

When drilling time came, Tyler paired me with Isam and Sterling. Isam is a pinch shorter than me but far stronger and Sterling would be considered a heavyweight. Both were helpful and I felt no discomfort or awkwardness.

To me, jiu-jitsu feels like a sacred dance, where bodies become teachers and breath becomes instruction.

The drill was one I hadn’t seen before: someone lifts one of your legs and controls it. The instinct is to panic or freeze, but the technique teaches calm pressure. You take your hands and squeeze inward toward their elbows, arms, even their shoulders — not to hurt, but to create just enough space to recover your balance. That tiny moment of relief is where the “step” happens. You plant your other foot, rotate, and it’s almost like opening a door and then slamming it shut as you step back and pull free.

A simple movement… but full of metaphor.

Something else caught my eye: head placement matters. Watching the more experienced men drill, it was a good question for me to understand the basic rules of head placement.


If I’m holding someone’s right leg, my head should align under their right armpit. That positioning protects both partners and gives structure to the movement. I noticed the larger partner had drifted his head off to the side, so I asked Tyler about it — and he confirmed the importance of alignment.

Form matters. Intention matters. Structure matters.

I learn best by watching first. If I anchor the instructor’s form in my mind before I try it, my body follows more naturally. That was especially true today.

I drilled with Isam and Sterling and it was wonderful.

There is such kindness in the way God keeps showing me His heart on these mats. Strength that doesn’t overpower. Instruction that disciplines without shaming. Brothers who partner respectfully without hesitation. A space where I get to learn, grow, and be sharpened — and also show up fully as the woman He is forming.

I want to keep marking these days, because each one teaches me something that will find its way back into this book that isn’t done yet — this book God is still writing in real time on the mats, in my heart, and in the lives He keeps intersecting with mine.

One step, one sweep, one turn —
and doors keep opening and closing under His hand.

And one more thing…

When I left the gym and headed home, I called my husband. I needed to get ready for an appointment before going into the shop, and I just wanted to check in with him.

The first thing he said was, “You always sound so happy when you leave that place.” Then he repeated the same sentiment in different words.

His confirmation matters to me.
He is my spouse — my covenant partner, my witness, my encourager. And hearing his voice recognize the joy in mine… it touched something deep.

The Lord keeps affirming this path through so many voices — even the ones closest to home.

As an added bonus, I really dig the rapper, NF, as Tyler shared a video that had over 650k views since last night. The song is called FEAR and it moved me. I think the last rap song that moved me is more than 20 years old from Eminem. 🤣

I just looked and now there are over a million views in less than 24 hours.

God is so good Thank you, Jesus, for a glorious day!

Prayer to Destroy Pride

On By mygodroomIn prayerLeave a comment

Father God, Thank You for opening my eyes to the Hebrew roots of pride and the Greek words that reveal its many forms. Pride is always the absence of wisdom and the absence of genuine love.

Where pride grows, love shrinks.
Where love shrinks, relationships fracture.
Where relationships fracture, the enemy rejoices.

Only you, Jehovah Rapha, heal the root.

Holy Father Abba in Heaven,
I come to You as Your daughter,
seeking deliverance from every form of pride—
seen and unseen, confessed and unconfessed,
known and hidden.

Lord, Your Word says clearly
“Love does not envy, love does not boast,
love is not proud.” (1 Corinthians 13:4)
So I ask You now:
Destroy everything in me and in Your daughters
that is not rooted in love.

By the power of Your Spirit,
tear down every high place
where we have lifted ourselves above another.

Strike down the swelling pride of ga’ōn
(Obadiah 1:3; Isaiah 16:6).

Bring low the lifted heart of rūm
(Deuteronomy 8:14; Obadiah 1:4).

Break the stubbornness of zādōn
(Psalm 119:21; Deuteronomy 17:12–13).

Soften the haughty eyes of gāvah
(Proverbs 21:4; Psalm 131:1).

And wash out the sourness of ḥāmatz
(Psalm 73:21 [“my heart was embittered”];
Exodus 12:15 as the leaven-warning tied to pride),
before it spreads into bitterness.

Lord, kill the bitter root.
Kill it completely.
Kill it at the source.
Do not let it grow back.
Do not let it entangle Your daughters
or choke out sisterhood, unity, and peace.

Holy Spirit, lay down a new foundation:
a foundation of humility,
a foundation of gentleness,
a foundation of wisdom from above—
pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason,
full of mercy and good fruit
(James 3:17).

Father, let Your love cast out every fear,
every comparison, every jealousy,
and every wound that pride tries to cover.

In the mighty name of Jesus,
I renounce all pride.
I renounce every bitter root.
I renounce every spirit that brings division.

Plant in me—and in every sister—
a heart that loves like You love,
that listens like You listen,
and that bows like You bowed
when You washed feet.

Let us love more and more by your perfect example.

Make us one, Lord.
Make us whole.
Make us healed.
And let Your Spirit guard our unity
with Your peace.

In the name of Jesus our Deliverer,
Amen.

Mat Three:Observation

On By mygodroomIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today was such a beautiful Wednesday. I went to get my hair done and had the sweetest, most meaningful conversation with Becky—my dear friend, my hairdresser, and the pastor’s wife at our church. Every visit with her feels like a little ministry moment—two hearts sharing stories, laughter, and faith.

Today was in particularly different in that I shared my Messianic experience when I learned Becky’s sister and three of her daughters are Messianic.

I didn’t have enough time to warm up and roll at jiu-jitsu today, but I still went and observed. And honestly, it felt like a spiritual experience just to watch. I saw how intention was born on the mat—how every shift of weight, every exchange of energy carried its own story. When partners switched, the entire rhythm changed—body type, flow, and balance transforming the interaction completely.

The loving way they taught and corrected one another reminded me so much of how the Lord disciplines us—not in harshness, but in love. Gently guiding, refining, shaping us through each encounter until strength and grace meet as one.

Even without stepping on the mat, I left feeling deeply connected—part of something living and breathing, a quiet lesson unfolding before me. Sometimes the holiest thing we can do is simply observe, and let His Spirit show us what we might have missed in motion.

Thank you, Jesus! As I wore my ONJJ “Positive Energy Activates Constant Energy” purple Tshirt- I must smile and giggle a pinch as the Blonde Polish Chick I am. The tshirt spells PEACE upside down. I see what you did there. #ISWYDT. I love you.

Joyce Chronicles

On By mygodroomIn blessings, obedience, PaganLeave a comment

I love my sweet sister, Joyce. Truly, she has blessed my life for over two years with her intentional actions. She visited me at the old Smyrna shop, visited at this Boro location, met me for dinners at various places and has consistently valued me enough to designate and set apart time for our fellowship. She has also given me beautiful cards; a pocket stone cross I took to Italy and other thoughtful gestures, like cooking dinner for my family.

For over two years, she has been a prayer warrior and a true friend to me.

Given her work at the food bank and SNAP benefits cut since October 1, she has certainly been busier than usual the past six weeks. Today, I had the blessing of driving to the Boro to meet her for breakfast!

I just realized my “focus on ONE God story” was not a completely new one. I shared the gist of the Lamentations 3:58 story via text two weeks ago.

Still, Joyce listened as if she had never heard a peep! God bless her, she is such an active listener. Granted, I did add some new details, as the Lord tends to keep adding to each story He gives me.

As fun as it is to share stories, I love listening to others’ stories. I asked Joyce what was in her ear as a new lesson. She opened her phone and shared this verse from 1 Chronicles.

Joyce shared a certain nudge she felt reading the genealogy. Essentially, questions about why a second born son would be the one married to the daughter of Pharaoh. Why was this particular wife, Bithiah, mentioned by name?

I love, love, LOVE deep diving into scripture and gaining any type of new understanding. It always feels like Jesus is hugging me or love-tapping me on the shoulder. Today was extra exciting for me, as I have recently studied some things about birth order and how God names certain people. It always excites me to recognize when He has taken me through certain steps to prepare me for anything. I was especially excited that He prepared me a pinch for Joyce’s question.

In biblical genealogies, firstborns often represent inheritance and authority, but second sons frequently carry spiritual significance — chosen by God for covenant purposes rather than birth order. Abel was chosen over Cain, Jacob over Esau and Ephraim over Manasseh.

When a second son connects to foreign or royal lineage, like Pharaoh’s daughter here, it often points to divine reversal, covenant inclusion or a bridging of nations.

What makes Pharaoh’s daughter, Bithiah, so special? For starters, her Hebrew name is Bat-Yah and literally means “daughter of Yahweh.” To me, it’s clear she renounced Egypt’s gods and embraced Israel’s God, Yahweh. Jewish tradition today still gives every convert to Judaism a Hebrew name. The most common names according to one source are those which are connected to new beginnings, redemption and listening. Choosing Bat-Yah or being guided to choose a common name for her conversion both lead to a clear understanding of her renouncing her Egyptian and pagan values

From Seminary Now, The Five Women Who Saved Moses ” Then the fifth woman entered the scene: Pharaoh’s daughter. This person of wealth and influence saw the little ark and asked her attendants to bring it to her. The baby slave boy was crying, and she had compassion on him.”

According to Jewish tradition (Midrash and Targum Jonathan), she is actually the same woman who rescued baby Moses from the Nile. I believe it’s important to note that the Bible does not confirm it is the same woman. However, if that’s true, then her marriage into Israel through Mered (a descendant of Judah) symbolizes redemption — an Egyptian princess becoming part of God’s covenant people.

To that end, it’s really cool to me that this is the name she chose. She married Mered aka ” rebel” from the line of Ezra, which means “helper”. This Ezra is not the prophet/scribe who returned from Babylon. It’s so cool to me that a daughter of Yah married a rebel who became a helper…it’s like redemption is folded directly into the genealogy.

This is where my spazzing over Hebrew adds multiple hours to studying any one topic. Why? Because it didn’t make sense to my spirit for a true daughter of Yah to marry a rebel. Well, the Jewish Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 166, Megillah 13a) says Mered was another name for Caleb, the faithful spy who didn’t rebel against God (Numbers 14:24) So what did he rebel against? Well, the Midrash states he “rebelled against the counsel of the spies”. He rebelled against rebellion!

This little insight flips the meaning on it’s head. Mered’s rebellion was a form of righteousness and expression of the moral courage to stand against sin.

Fascinating to me are the things we can learn from the genealogies. More fascinating to me is the mystery which remains. All we know from scripture is Mered had two wives. One Judahite with natural lineage to the Tribe of Judah and One Egyptian, Pharoah’s daughter, Bithyah from the grafted -in lineage.

This mirrors the spiritual “double-thread” of Scripture: Jew and Gentile, law and grace, first and second, natural and spiritual.

The second son represents the adopted one, the redeemed outsider, or the one brought in by mercy.
Bithiah’s inclusion shows that even Egypt — once a place of bondage — produces a daughter who becomes a symbol of divine adoption.

Father God, thank you for adopting us, too! Thank you for making it so fun to go snorkeling with Jesus.