However, these descriptions answer questions that the text doesn’t invite us to ask. Some scholars think Tabitha was a widow: she was living among and caring for widows, her husband or children are not named, and she devoted her attention to serving the church. Some scholars think she was an unmarried young woman, perhaps even a formal benefactor, occupying a role of significance and status in a patronage society. Tabitha’s story is the story of a woman who very likely did not “fit” the family mold. We struggle to meet the expectations that come with those roles, especially as our families, ourselves, and the world changes. Whoever our families are, we’ve probably felt that weight-of being someone’s sibling or son or niece or grandchild. I did not live up to the expectations of my mother’s legacy. I was setting up food for volunteers, and one of the women declared to the group, “Kaitlyn can make these desserts look pretty, she’s Debbie’s daughter. My mom worked in churches my whole life-so at every church activity and event, I was “Debbie’s daughter.” In college when I interned for a church where my mom was a beloved leader, I immediately felt the weight of those expectations. For much of my life, I’ve been called “Debbie’s daughter” more than my own name.
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