Interview with Sheila Walsh – Seeing the face of God through the window of our brokenness

In honor of Sheila Walsh’s new book releasing this week, The Storm Inside, here’s an interview previously published in Woman Alive with this speaker and writer who powerfully communicates the truths of the Bible in a grace-filled way.

You’re a Scot who has lived in the States for something like 25 years. Do you ever get homesick for Scotland? If so, do you reach for any favorite Scottish authors?

I do miss Scotland. I miss Marks and Spencer’s Christmas cake and good chocolate but most of all I miss my family so I try and get home as often as I can. I also miss London as I spent so many years there. I love the poems of Robert Burns and the writings of Thomas Hardy.

My young daughter adores Gigi [the main character in Sheila’s books and videos for young girls]. Recently she said that these were her favorite books, and as someone who works in publishing, I have stacks and stacks of books for her to choose from. I’m also slightly embarrassed to admit that CutiePyeGirl is a blonde who usually doesn’t go for brunettes – she prefers Cinderella to Snow White, and so on. But [brown-haired] Gigi speaks to her. How did you come up with the idea of Gigi – and Will? What’s behind the stories?

One morning when my son, Christian was five and I was dropping him off at kindergarten I watched a dad with his daughter. She was not what we think of as the traditional Disney Princess. She had bruises on her knees and her hair looked a little wild but her daddy took her face in his hands and told her she was beautiful and she believed him. I lost my dad when I was five and never saw myself as anything but awkward and clumsy. After watching that dad with his daughter I drove straight to Starbucks and wrote the first Gigi story on napkins. I want every little girl to know that she is precious and treasured by God.

What’s behind your book God Loves Broken People?

I have spent so much of my life trying to “fix” myself, to make myself more acceptable to God. It seems to me now that it’s when we realize that we can’t fix ourselves, that we are broken and lost without Christ that we begin to understand the heart of the gospel. I passionately believe that it is through the window of our brokenness that we see the face of God.

Tell us about how you engage with your favorite commentaries when you’re writing or teaching about the Bible.

One of my favourite things in the world to do is to take a passage of scripture and dig deep. I use Logos software on my computer, which gives me access to a whole theological library. I can choose a passage and read what my 5 favourite commentaries say then do a word study to unpack a word in Hebrew or Greek. The more I dive into God’s Word the more there is to know. It’s as C. S. Lewis wrote, “It’s as if we are children splashing around in a puddle when God has said, come swim in the ocean.”

Escape with any novels in the bath?

That’s a funny thought to me! I love having a bath at night but that’s when I love to be quiet and reflect on the day with the Lord. Every morning when I get up I always say, “Good morning Lord, I don’t know where you are going today but wherever you’re going, I’m coming with you.” At the end of the day I love to reflect on that.

As a dog-lover do you enjoy books about dogs? Prefer the real thing instead?

I think I have read everything James Herriot has written! One of my favorite books is the story of “Greyfriars Bobby” a little dog who refused to leave his master’s grave. My dog Belle is just like that. Wherever I am, there she is.

Have you ever thrown a book across the room in disgust?

I never knew that was an option! I’m pretty careful about what I read but will now by looking for opportunities to do just that :).

Sheila Walsh is a powerful Bible teacher and best-selling author from Scotland with over 4 million books sold. Currently completing her Masters in Theology, Sheila lives in Texas with her husband, Barry, her son, Christian, and her two little dogs, Belle and Tink.