Teri Bledsoe, Board Chair of Women Doing Well, on Joyful Giving Through Suffering (Ep. 186)

Teri Bledsoe is an entrepreneur, mother, and board chair with Women Doing Well whose life has been shaped by both deep faith and profound hardship. From a young age, she sensed God’s presence and developed a posture of generosity, but it was through marriage, adoption, and seasons of financial uncertainty that her trust in God was refined. A pivotal moment early in her marriage revealed God’s personal care, setting a foundation for a lifelong journey of open-handed giving and dependence on Him. As God entrusted Teri and her husband Chris with significant wealth through a business exit, He simultaneously led them through painful seasons, including the loss of their son. Rather than separating joy and suffering, God used both to deepen their intimacy with Him and with each other. Through her involvement with Women Doing Well and other generosity communities, Teri now helps others discover that generosity is not about outcomes, but about responding to God’s invitation and experiencing His joy in every circumstance. Listen to explore how God meets you in suffering and invites you into a deeper, joy-filled life of generosity. Major Topics Include: Generosity as response to God’s invitation Faith formed through suffering and surrender Defining “enough” to unlock freedom Joy and sorrow coexisting in Kingdom life Stewardship over ownership of wealth Generosity strengthening marital unity Community as catalyst for generous living Mining for joy through intentional giving Trusting God’s character over outcomes QUOTES TO REMEMBER “Generosity is a response of gratitude to who He is and what He shows us of His character and His love and His grace.” “Generosity isn’t an outcome-based exercise in the Kingdom. It’s an intimacy and relational exercise with the King.” “God of the universe was talking to me and saying, ‘I see you, and I’m going to move heaven and earth so you don’t miss an opportunity to respond to my goodness.’” “You cannot outgive God.” “He is not a taker. He’s a giver.” “Those tracks of joy and sorrow were just running straight parallel.” “The joy of giving and being on mission with the Lord was the only counterbalance to the suffering.” “There’s a special grace in suffering where He shows you that He is enough.” “I won’t let go until you show me your joy.” “When you give, what you specifically gain is the joy of the Lord.” “Generosity is the way He unlocks that joy.” “The greatest joy of giving has been what God has done between Chris and me.” “When I see him get burdened for a Kingdom cause, I fall in love all over again.” “Have 100% confidence in God, and He’ll take care of whatever giving mistakes you might make.” “He is enough. He is whatever you need.” LINKS FROM THE SHOW Women Doing Well (see our interview with president Julie Wilson) The Gathering (see our interview with CEO Josh Kwan) National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills) Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounders Todd Harper and David Wills and CEO, April Chapman) Redeemer City to City Pine Cove Christian Summer Camps Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby Theo of Golden by Allen Levi The Power of Generosity by Boyd Bailey BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW Malachi 3:10 | Test Me in This “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” Psalm 27:8 | Seek His Face “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” John 10:10 | Life to the Full “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Acts 20:35 | More Blessed to Give “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” John 15:11 | Joy Made Full “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 3:16 | God So Loved He Gave “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” James 1:17 | Every Good Gift “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Genesis 32:26 | Wrestling with God “Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day has broken.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’” TAKE A STEP DEEPER On the Finish Line podcast, we are all about stories, seeing how God draws us into generosity over a lifetime.   But sometimes these stories can leave us thinking, “What’s that next step look like for me?” That’s exactly why we’ve launched a whole new podcast called Applied Generosity which explores the full landscape of the generous life across 7 different dimensions of generosity. Applied Generosity helps make sense of the hundreds of stories we’ve shared on the Finish Line Podcast to help you find that best next step. If you’ve been inspired by these stories and want to take things to the next level, check out Applied Generosity anywhere you listen to podcasts or at appliedgenerosity.com.