Sally Clarkson - A Different Kind of Hero: A Guided Journey Through the Bibles Misfits

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 CORINTHIANS 12:9, ESV

Scripture is full of imperfect, fearful warriors and champions men and women who didnt quite fit in or immediately stand out. In other words, it is chock-full of stories about people who arent so very different from us. Like them, we often want to hide our differences those tender places that set us apart from others. At other times, we wonder how we can love a family member or a friend whose struggles demand more patience or wisdom than we can drum up on our own. Gods response? His strength is most available to us and most evident in our weakness.

This guide was written as a companion to Different, the book I (Sally) wrote with my son Nathan to detail our journey to understand and ultimately embrace both his strengths and his struggles. And now, rather than leaning heavily on our own story in this guided study, we invite you to journey with us into some incredible stories in the Bible. Its possible you first learned about people like Samson and Ruth from Bible stories you were told as a child, but have you ever stopped to consider just what unlikely heroes they are? You or someone you love may have been called offbeat, odd, or a little outside the box. Everyone youll meet in A Different Kind of Hero was called that or worse!

Depending on whether you want to engage with God about your struggles one on one, or whether you prefer to wrestle with difficult questions alongside others, you can complete this twelve-chapter study on your own, with a spouse or other family member, or in a small group setting. In each chapter, youll read the story of a different hero from Scripture. Each contains

• A brief definition of a word that describes that person and that could characterize anyone. Our hope is that youll spend a few moments considering whether you or someone you love also fits that description.
• A passage from Scripture that will introduce you to one of the different heroes God worked through, whether in ancient Israel or the early church.
• A retelling of a key scene from that heros life. Weve written these in a way we hope will make you feel as if you are walking alongside these people as God asks them to take a risk or to do the impossible. We are storytellers and not formal theologians, so any imaginative elements in these stories are not meant to be a statement of how each story actually unfolded, but rather one notion of how it might have played out. Though we have attempted to be painstakingly attentive to the accuracy of Scripture, we have also carefully and respectfully used imagery and dialogue that arent explicitly stated in Scripture. Though we hope you enjoy our take on these stories, we encourage you to go back and get familiar with the source material yourself, and learn the stories straight from Scripture, as well.
• Outside the Lines. Each chapter ends with some additional Scripture passages and practical questions to help you contemplate what each hero has to teach you about living in the joy and strength that God offers. Notice that theres space in this section to jot down your thoughts and ideas. You can use a separate notebook or journal if you prefer.

As you take this guided journey alongside twelve biblical misfits, our prayer is that you will find new hope and direction as they point you to the One who sustained them, guided them, and never stopped loving them. After all, even today His grace and strength are unmistakable to others in the places you and I feel most vulnerable.

As the Ark of the L ORD entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the L ORD , she was filled with contempt for him....

When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!

David retorted to Michal, I was dancing before the L ORD , who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the L ORD , so I celebrate before the L ORD . Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished! So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life. 2 SAMUEL 6:16, 20-23

From the beginning, David was out of the norm. As the youngest of eight brothers, some of whom were distinguished and well-respected in the familys social circles, he faced a major upward climb to be noticed. When God commanded Samuel to go to the home of Jesse to anoint one of his sons as the next king, even the aged and venerated prophet assumed God would choose Eliab, Davids impressive-looking oldest brother, to represent the nation of Israel. When God looked with favor upon David, suffice it to say, his family viewed the choice with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Their incredulity deepened when David, still only a shepherd guarding his fathers flocks, volunteered to face off against the Philistine giant, Goliath. Everyone around him thought he was crazy; how could an adolescent possibly accomplish what a legion of soldiers had failed to do? It wasnt that David couldnt see their reasoning; through human effort and understanding, there was no way that David could ever slay the oppressive and indomitable Goliath. Yet David knew it was not by his own understanding that such feats were accomplished. God had favored him in the wilderness as he faced down lions and bears. David heard the beat of a different drummer, and that drummer was the Spirit of God.