Meet the Women of NAOBC – Lisa Pickard
On Mondays, we’ll take time to meet the women of NAOBC. Five questions followed by how you can connect with the NAOBC women on social media. Today’s interview is with Lisa Pickard.
Q: Tell us about yourself
A: I am a Louisville native and love the state of Kentucky. I am married to my high school sweetheart and the love of my life, Aaron Pickard. We have two children: Liam (9) and Piper (7). They are full of fun and keep me on my toes! I enjoy singing, crafting, taking naps, snow skiing, and spending time with my family and friends. My most favorite hobby is being a teacher (and all that goes with it)!! It sounds crazy but it’s true. I enjoy being a 3rd Grade teacher at Audubon Traditional Elementary School. I have known that I wanted to be a teacher since the age of 6. For me, teaching is my mission field. I feel called to be there.
Q: Tell us about your time at NAOBC
A: We started visiting NAOBC in the winter of 2014 and immediately we felt connected. My husband and I are involved in Intermediate Couples 1. I truly enjoy the friendships I have made with other women in IC1, the encouragement I receive from studying God’s Word together, and the accountability I receive from other women in our class. I have served in Preschool Ministry, Children’s Ministry, Singles Ministry, and VBS.
Q: What is a fun fact that most people wouldn’t know about you?
A: I was in Male High School’s Show Choir all four years. We traveled to St. Louis, New York City (twice), and Myrtle Beach for competitions. We sang and performed many Broadway Musical numbers.
Q: What woman has made the most impact in your life?
A: My grandma (Eve Colyer) is the woman that has made the most impact on my life thus far. She has gone on to be with the Lord. She was very involved in my life and I spent a lot of time with her growing up. She loved Jesus and was very involved in church and with her Sunday school class. She was very supportive of me, was a great listener, gave me solid biblical advice, and taught me many lessons about life. I love how invested she was with her grandchildren. She loved to sing with me, listen to me play piano, and she even taught me how to drive and water ski. When I was young, if I was given the choice of spending the night with a friend or with grandma, I always chose grandma!!
Q: What is something the Lord has taught you in the last year?
A: I am a work in progress! The Lord has taught me more about fear and trust in the last year. COVID has brought many changes to my life. Changes that I was not prepared for. Being the Type-A personality that I am, change is difficult for me. All of the changes invoked a sense of fear in me like I’ve never had before. I felt worried all of the time. I was worried about being high-risk with my Diabetes, about my husband being high-risk with his Crohn’s Disease, about my son being high-risk with his asthma, and about all of the changes I was facing as a teacher who would be teaching completely virtually (something I have never done before). The worry would turn to panic after the sun went down. I was allowing the fear to consume me. It was keeping me up at night and taking my focus off of what was important. I worked hard to complete devotions on my Bible app that reminded me of God’s promises. I found encouragement in the accountability of a close friend that did the devotions with me. I talked with my husband about my feelings and listened to him speak truth into my situations. I spent a lot of time praying when I felt the fear and worry creeping in. I focused on His promises:
God promises to never leave me (Deuteronomy 31:8).
He tells me not to worry because He is bigger than anything I face (Matthew 6:25-27, 1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6, Proverbs 12:25).
He is my keeper (Psalm 121).
He will pull me through (Philippians 4:19).
He is my peace (John 16:33).
He knows me (Psalm 139).
Instead of putting my energy into worrying about things that may or may not happen, I focused on Him and His promises to me. I felt peace in those moments of worry. I was able to rest in Him. I am thankful for His faithfulness.
