Up The Ladder.

There is an attitude that I have noticed recently in young women. It is mainly put into practice by those fresh out of college and feel that the world is at their fingertips. I’m not saying that this is a bad attitude, necessarily, just that it might be counteractive.



I think that this attitude comes out of the ideas of feminism and the empowerment of women. There are some that feel as if the world frowns upon them because they are women; whereas, if they were men, the world would be peachy…they would get paid more, get promotions more, receive more benefits, etc. And depending upon their environments, this may very well be the case. But, in my opinion, just because you want to point out the inequality in a certain system does not mean that you are supposed to climb up the corporate ladder in a single bound and run the company.


Some women are meant to lead large organizations, be in political office, be high ranking administrators, etc. But this attitude that is impressed upon women as they emerge into the working world makes all of them feel that it is their destiny to go against the grain, prove someone wrong, make a statement to the world.


Here is my point: If God calls you to a high level of leadership, and He equips you for it in every way imaginable, go for it. That is what He wants you to do. But if God presents you with an opportunity to blossom where He has planted you, use your skills, continue learning, and thrive…be content with that. We do not all have to place this enormous weight upon our shoulders that it is our sole responsibility to make a name for ourselves. Can’t we just play the background?


We need to realize that God’s got us. He’s had us from the beginning of time, and He is never going to let go. So whatever He gives us to do for Him, we should do it…knowing that we are totally insignificant in the scheme of all that He has planned.


When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.

Two For One.

I fully expect that many of my future blog posts will be about marriage. Because, well, I am married. (8 months tomorrow!)



There are myriads of ways that marriage reflects the Christian life. When he is happy, I find myself happy. When he is hurting, I find myself hurting. When he is sick, I want to stay home and take care of him. When something grieves the heart of God, we should feel grieved. When God and all of His angels are rejoicing over a new believer, we should rejoice. When God shows us what He wants us to do, we should do it. It is meant to be a knee-jerk reaction. We don’t even need to think about it.


But do we ever find ourselves thinking “God, I know that you are sad right now because one more person has just died without believing in you, but can’t you just be happy with me that I got a raise?!” or “Yes, I know that she just realized what it means to be sanctified, but I need you to come over here and take care of my needs!”? We need to learn that our lives are not meant to be at all separated from God. Just like when we are married, we are not ever meant to call it quits.


Sometimes, I think that people get confused…God created us, all of us…and He put us on the same earth…He did not create 7 billion “earths” so that all of us can live in our own little worlds…He wanted us to form community with each other. And community is not meant to be only the people that we know…we are intricately connected with the believers in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America, Canada, Mexico, Antarctica, New Zealand. When a church is built in Madagascar and the villagers begin to hear the Truth, the entire body of Christ should be ecstatic! When two missionaries are murdered in Mexico, the church should grieve for their families left behind and thank God for their sacrifice.


Our reaction would be completely different if we heard of a husband abandoning his addiction to go back to be with his wife. And we have every right to praise God for this redemption. Shouldn’t we rejoice just as much when a lost soul finds the Savior?


Think of the book of Hosea. God asked Hosea to take a prostitute as his wife…Hosea didn’t know why. The girl did not understand why Hosea wanted her, so when she could not bear that question any longer, she went back to her old ways. Hosea went after her, brought her back to their home, and taught her the love that God had shown to Him. I know for a fact that God did not accidentally make all of these things happen…I know that He was trying to teach the nation of Israel something. He is the Bridegroom who will never ever give up on His bride…no matter how stubborn or wayward she may become.


Since He has shown us this much compassion, shouldn’t we respect Him with all that we have? Shouldn’t we seek what He desires for us instead of pretending like our lives are all that matter? Shouldn’t we be so connected to Him that we align our minds to His ultimate goals, rather than our 3-5 year plans for our lives? Shouldn’t we emulate His commitment to us in our commitments to our marriages?

"We Don't Have Time!"

Casey can tell you. I think I say this phrase once a day. With good reason. But what does “reason” have to do with it?



Sure, Casey and I have been married for almost 8 months now. Sure, we both have full-time jobs…and secondary projects by choice. Sure, we are wearing ourselves out every Sunday morning to teach a group of rowdy 4-year-olds. Sure, we are trying to build friendships with 4 or 5 other married couples our age. This is time-consuming stuff.


But what if it just comes down to endurance? I am fully aware that God gave us 24 hours in a day…we spend 8 of those hours at work. That leaves 16 whole hours. Rocket science, I know. Even if we sleep for 8 of those 16, what kind of Kingdom work could we accomplish with 8 hours a day? Could we try a little bit harder to grasp what Scripture is trying to say to me? Could we read one of the hundreds of books that we have been meaning to read, so that our minds can be expanded a little bit more? Could we initiate a few more conversations about the Truth? Could we open my eyes a little bit wider to see what God is asking us to do?


I have never read anything in the Bible about “If you feel tired, just give up. You don’t really need to do anything else. Just be a bum.” Everything I have seen and experienced says that when we are tired, God gives us strength…when we are weak, He is strong…when we feel worthless, Christ reminds us that He died for us…when we feel like we can’t go on, we will rise up on wings like eagles…we will run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. There are times when God leads us into a valley of rest for a time, but we must understand that He did not create us to rest. He tells us in Hebrews 4 that we will one day enter His land of rest…eternal rest. That makes me think that He created us for a purpose here on this earth. A purpose that we are meant to pursue with all that we have. This purpose is different for everyone, so that we will realize the importance of our specific task.


Next time you feel like you can’t take another step, look up. Lift your eyes to the hills.


There is time enough for that.