This coming Sunday, I will preach on one of my favorite Biblical stories, “The Woman at the Well.” I find myself attracted to the Biblical passage for several reasons. First, having a strong woman at the center of the story affirms the true nature of Jesus’ ministry. Everyone is welcome at the table of the Lord. There are no exceptions. The invitation embraces the marginalized and all who respond to God’s call.

     Second, the woman is trapped by a series of choices that cast her out of polite society. I can’t imagine the emotional pain she endured as each relationship she had ended in heartbreak and isolation. Her reputation proved so bad that she could not draw water from the well in the cool of the day, as the other women of the village could. She had to gather water at the hottest part of the day when no one was around.

     Her self-esteem must have suffered greatly. I am sure that she often thought to herself, “How can anybody love me? What I have done is so bad that God will never forgive me.” Yet, her story reminds us that forgiveness is available to all, regardless of our past mistakes.” Yet, her story reminds us that forgiveness is available to all, regardless of our past mistakes. She lived with this horrible mindset for years, but Christ’s love proved otherwise. How could anyone forgive her for what she had done? Sometimes, in the darkest of moments, I could only imagine her self-loathing developing into a catastrophic series of failures.

     Third, and this is my favorite part, in her darkest moments, Christ came to her. He heard her story, told from her very own mouth. At the end, he offered her life-giving water. The Holy One offered salvation and no condemnation, echoing John 3:17, which assures us that God did not send His Son to condemn the world but to save it. There could have been moments when Jesus chastised her, but instead made her aware that her brokenness could be restored. Her wholeness could find restoration.

     Her narrative changed. It did not matter what mistakes she made in the past. The most precious thing surrounding her was a new sense of self-rooted faith. The chains that pulled her back to the past fell by the wayside as she embraced God’s grace. She experienced spiritual freedom, allowing her to soar to places that she only dreamed of seeing. The woman was made whole, not by her own strength, but through God’s transformative power.

     I see myself in her story. I know what it is like to feel as if I have nothing to give. My journey reflects the many times Christ guided me through imposter syndrome. I thought, “I can’t do this, or what I have done is so horrible that God will never forgive me. For many years, I carried these awful feelings and buried them deep within my soul. I lived as an imposter until the one who sat beside me offered me another way of being in the world. Hope replaces sorrow, joy finds a way past mourning.