The Impact of Faith Background with Kim Hyland
We each come from different backgrounds and understandings of God and faith. It could make for a messy Sunday morning family gathering. But the beauty of the cross is that it takes our different pieces and melds it together in a beautiful way - reflecting the unity of Christ’s bride. Only Jesus could take people from every walk and worldview and bring us together to make us One by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
This month I’m going to be sharing a two-part interview series with two women who I look up to and admire. They come from dramatically different backgrounds, but because of the cross they testify to the same truth: Jesus came to set them free!
I pray this series encourages you. Your story may look different, but He is doing a good work in you the same as He has done in these two amazing women. He will complete what He began (Philippians 1:6).
So without further ado, let me introduce you to the speaker and author of “An Imperfect Woman,” Kim Hyland. She wants to share with you how Jesus set her free from religion and her attempts at being good enough for Him.
1) Tell me a little bit about yourself and your faith background.
I'm an author, speaker and voracious reader. I'm the founder of Winsome Living, a ministry of Biblical encouragement to women, and Winsome Living Retreats. I've been married to my boyfriend Jeff for 32 years. We have five sons and one daughter, three daughter-in-law’s, one son-in-law, and six grandchildren with one on the way.
I was raised in a first-generation Christian home. Our church was non-denominational and charismatic. But I went to a Baptist college and we raised our kids in a reformed church. So basically, I'm a Christian mutt. I've seen a lot of error and even more beauty. It's a grace how God manages to convey His truth to those who sincerely seek Him.
2) In your recent book, “An Imperfect Woman,” you share your story of being the self-help queen. Would you say your faith background was one that set expectations for achieving holiness?
Probably. That's definitely what I took away from it. My adult relationship with Jesus was very performance based all the way into my early forties. Holiness is the standard of our lives as followers of Jesus (1 Peter 1:15-16), but my focus was on achieving it on my own. Sometimes I still slip into that.
3) What was the turning point that helped you realize you didn't need to prove yourself to God?
I'd say it has definitely been a long, gradual curve versus a sharp turn. But becoming aware of His deep, personal love for me in the midst of what felt like my greatest failure was definitely a point of change in the way I thought about Him. Rather than hiding from shame, I began to run to Him for refuge and love.
4) What passage in scripture helped you better understand that Jesus doesn't expect us to be perfect to come to Him?
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)
He could have made us out of titanium, but He chose clay! He chose something weak (us) to contain the treasure of the Gospel, and He did it on purpose – so that when we run up against our weakness over and over again, we'd know it's His power that animates and sustains our relationship with Him. When I remember that, I'm overwhelmed again by His power, kindness, and love for me. My response is motivated by gratitude and love and is much greater than any effort I could drum up on my own.
5) In this series we are focusing on the impact of different faith backgrounds or lack of it. Would you say having a "Christian background" but one that didn't understand "freedom in Christ" made this shift in thinking harder or easier?
While it's hard to shake off legalism, I'd still say that my Christian background made the shift in thinking easier. I had so much knowledge of God through scripture and a lot of experience with His body through growing up in the church. I saw plenty of error, but discovering the grace and freedom He offered, even against an imperfect background, made everything I'd learned make so much more sense.
6) What has been the greatest gift in experiencing life in the spirit rather than life in your own strength?
I think I'm beginning to understand what Jesus meant when He said we must become like children. (Matt. 18:2-4) Children have a subconscious understanding of their deep dependence on their parents. It just is, and all of their actions reflect it. They run to them in fear and delight, frustration and triumph, joy and sorrow. There's incredible freedom in living in the knowledge of our inescapable need and dependence on our Father.
7) What is your advice to women who are realizing that they may be living a life of faith rooted more in their own strengths rather than depending on His?
Give it up! Dare to believe that you're as loved as the Bible proclaims . . . you're chosen, created, desired, and adored. Become intimately familiar with who God is as He reveals Himself in the Bible and through His Son Jesus. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. (Jer. 29:13) Consider a small child and her relationship to her loving parents, and seek to live like that with God.
