Liberty University has always been political.
It was political thirty years ago. It was political my sophomore year of 2009. It was political for all five years of my career on campus. And, as we saw in the news this week, it has remained political to this day.
Most goals are about improving ourselves. We want to lose weight, eat well, improve family relationships, and read more. None of these things are wrong. But when we look across the goals we set as people of God we should ask ourselves: Why all the self-improvement? Is this what Christians are called to pursue?
For 2018, Lisa and I are introducing a few changes to the podcast – Uniquely Woman! There’s new podcast art and a new tagline: Inviting women to biblically challenge the status quo. We’re going to dive into some deep subjects where we might have answers – or we might be asking questions, both equipping us to better live out our faith.
“I feel like married people are on a different plane.” Some version of that sentence enters my inbox on a monthly basis.
My married friends don’t have time for me anymore.
When my friends couple up, they start treating me like a project – just because I’m single.
I’m sad my best friend is getting married because it means I’m going to lose her.
I often speak to Christian women frustrated by the lack of dating options in their circle of peers. They’ve tried involvement in their communities, joining new groups and clubs, and even switching churches to surround themselves with people their age – and still, women outnumber men 3:1! But when I suggest they consider online dating, I am universally received with shock. “Doesn’t that mean I’m not trusting God?” They ask.
“Absolutely not!” I answer – and this post explains why!
Last week I shared a little glimpse of my bible study routine on Uniquely Woman. But if you’re like me, sometimes you need to see it in writing! My bible study routine has changed over the years. As I shared in this post, worship doesn’t look the same as it did when I was a single, working professional – or even when I was first married.
To write it out feels silly and insignificant, but that’s the reality. According to my dates (which are accurate) I was due October 1st. It is now October 19th, and I am still pregnant. What’s more, my first child – Adeline – was born two weeks early, so I have been on high alert since 36 weeks. I am now 42 weeks and four days, and even if my dates are off by a week, I have been in “pregnancy mode” since the end of January. So for six weeks, I have woken up with hope and anticipation. For four weeks I have been completely ready. For two weeks I have been having contractions. And last weekend I had twelve hours of labor that fizzled out in exhausted sleep.
When I think over my walk with the Lord, that journey is marked by little altars; places where I spent time worshiping Him, laying my requests at His feet. Those places couldn’t be more different. As I moved from living at home with my family to attending to college, from college to career, from single to married and from marriage to motherhood, my times with God changed with me. In every season I had a “bible study corner”; a place I met with the Lord. But it looked different each time.
The shock of loss seems to steal our breath and with it our ability to think clearly. It can be extremely difficult to think of how to pray for ourselves and the people we love so dearly. Thankfully, our faith in God and reliance on Him has greater power and yields greater results than our grief.
God knows precisely how our brains function in times like these and He has mercifully given us the Holy Spirit to pray for us.
I was recently talking to a young woman who was struggling to find purpose and meaning in her current season of life. Her job was draining, her relationships felt forced, and her faith was tired. As I began to share a few things I hoped would encourage her, she shrugged her shoulders and said, “Yeah, that is easy for you to say since you actually have a job that you are passionate about… but I’m stuck.”