You are currently viewing Women Speak Hope | Interview with Brenda Strait | Bayfield, Colorado

Women Speak Hope | Interview with Brenda Strait | Bayfield, Colorado

My interview with Brenda Strait was the first interview I did for my Women Speak Hope project. She had come to stay in our household for the summer while she was recovering from some serious health issues.

Brenda has one kidney and had developed blood clots in one of her legs. She needed rest, no stress, really healthy food, encouragement, and prayer.

While Brenda was with us God did some healing in her body, her family and her marriage.

She arrived amidst some great personal challenges and was able to leave under much different circumstances with wonderful opportunities to look forward to.

I interviewed Brenda the day before she left.  Here is what she had to say about hope.

Bayfield, Colorado – September 4, 2018

Sherie:        So first of all, please tell me your name.

Brenda:      Brenda Strait.

Sherie:        And how old are you Brenda?

Brenda:      Sixty-nine.

Sherie:        And where are you from?

Brenda:       Oregon.

Sherie:        OK. And where are you now?

Brenda:       Colorado.

Sherie:        And where are you going to be?

Brenda:       Kansas. World Traveler. [Laughs]

Sherie:        So, tell me a little bit about yourself.

Brenda:       I’ve been a Christian for a whole lot of years. But I didn’t start really knowing God ’till about the last fifteen. And uh, I don’t know, there’s not much to tell about me. I’m just average.

Sherie:        You don’t have any career or had a career or…?

Brenda:       Oh, I worked as a bookkeeper for about twenty-five years.

Sherie:        OK

Brenda:       And uh, I’ve got four kids.

Sherie:        OK. Married? Single?

Brenda:       Married. The second time around.

Sherie:        OK. So, what do you hope for?

Brenda:       What do I hope for? Well, I’m, I don’t know. I’m just always open to whatever God’s doing.

Sherie:      OK.

Excerpt from interview with Brenda Strait.Brenda:       It took me a lot of years to stop hoping, to stop putting my hope in people. After I was disappointed a bazillion times, I finally learned to just put my hope in God and who He is and what He’s promised. And then I’m not disappointed.

Sherie:        OK, so that leads to this. What gives you hope?

Brenda:       Just Him, just His presence. Whatever’s goin’ on around me, as long as I can stay aware of His presence, I’m OK.

Sherie:        OK. What gives you joy?

Brenda:       The anticipation of the good He’s gonna do.

Sherie:        OK. And then, are you doing something to encourage hope in others?

Brenda:       Yes. I mean I try to. I’m always telling people, you know, don’t be afraid. Just trust in God. He’ll show up. You know.

Sherie:        So basically, you just verbally encourage other people, that’s how you…?

Brenda:       Yeah.

Sherie:        OK. So what would you like to do? Is there anything specific that you’d like to do to encourage hope in others?

Brenda:       All my life in church, you know, I kept hearing, you know, be good and don’t sin and be perfect and all this stuff, but nobody ever told you how. I want to be able to tell people how. To walk that, what that looks like on Monday morning. ‘Cuz I never had anybody to tell me how. I just stumbled through it. I spent more time with my face in the mud than anything else.

Sherie:        OK. And are you doing anything specific to make that happen?

Brenda:       Yes, I’ve been doing a lot of studying, um, learning from the Lord, the difference between iniquity and sin. Something that helped me a whole lot was when I learned the difference between my spirit and my soul. And when I could identify those things, then the path up ahead of me kind of got a little clearer.

Sherie:        OK, so what do you consider the difference between your spirit and your soul?

Brenda:       My spirit is that part of me that—I’m not sure how to explain it. God breathed into Adam. That was his spirit, that’s a part of him, a piece of who he is. And that my spirit has twenty-four seven connection with God, as long as I keep my soul shut up.

Sherie:        And what is your soul?

Brenda:       My soul is my mind, my will, my emotions. Um, learning to take control of my thoughts was really key because my mind can go in crazy places and get me in lots of trouble. But when I can quiet my mind and just kind of step back into my spirit and know that God’s there then I’m OK.

Sherie:        OK. What would you like to say to someone who’s struggling and has lost hope?

Brenda:       Struggling?

Sherie:        And has lost hope.

Brenda:      Oh. Funny you should ask. Because last night when I couldn’t sleep the Lord put David’s niece, Hope, on my heart.

Sherie:        Oh, and her name is Hope?

Brenda:       Her name is Hope, but she has no hope.

Sherie:        Hmm.

Brenda:       Can I get what I wrote? ‘Cuz He had me write down something for her.

Sherie:        Oh. I’ll pause. [Brenda leaves a moment and comes back with her notebook]

Brenda:       God gave me Isaiah 35. It says, Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble and tottering knees. Say to those whose are fearful and hasty of heart, be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will Image of pages of a Bible open to Isaiah 35.come with vengeance, and with the recompense of God He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall see and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.” And what He had me write down for Hope, this is what God says to her.

“Your mother gave you the right name, you’ve just had the wrong definition. The world’s system defines hope simply as wishful thinking, which in most cases is just an exercise in futility. But heaven defines hope as much more. It is in truth, the joyful anticipation of good from your King. Everyone you’ve looked to for your needs has disappointed you until you decided not to hope anymore. But I say to you to let go of fear, take hold of Me, because I’m coming to you with vengeance on those who have used and abused you. And with recompense for all that has been taken from you by the enemy of your soul. I will be your hope. I will save you out of your pain and destruction. I will lead you gently into places of refreshing and healing in Me. I will not disappoint you. Anticipate good from My hand and My heart. Take hold of joy. Take hold of My hand and see what I do for you and in you.”

Brenda:      That just came from Him especially for her.

Sherie:        Uh huh.

Brenda:       And that’s the kind of thing I like. Just to hear from Him and say what He says.

Sherie:        So part of what you want to do to encourage hope in others is to listen to the Lord and then share what He’s given you for them.

Brenda:       Uh huh.

Sherie:        OK. Awesome. What do you hope for the nation?

Brenda:       I hope that people will stop learning about God and begin to really know Him. Because when we come back to a place of truly knowing God, this nation will turn around.

Sherie:        Wow. Well thank you Brenda. That was an excellent interview.

Brenda Strait, interviewee for the Women Speak Hope project.
Brenda Strait enjoys viewing artists’ wares at an outdoor festival.