Trusting God Part One

by Jennie

2013 was one of the most challenging years for me. In May, I finished my final year of grad school, graduating with a Master’s of Social Work degree. After casually looking for a job from March through June with no success, I returned to work at a 9-week summer therapeutic program for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Throughout the summer, I continued my job search, which also included applying to internal positions at the agency where I was working my seasonal job, but to no avail, I couldn’t seem to find a job in the Philadelphia area, where I had called home for the last 8 years. I even interviewed at a temp agency in hopes I could find something through them!

At the end of September, I received a call from a recruiter based out of Colorado who fills positions for medical/mental health agencies looking for employers. She asked me how my job search was going and what type of job offers, if any I had received. I explained to her my current situation at the time, and she asked if I had considered re-locating. She had a job she thought I would be a perfect fit, but there was a catch. It was 2-1/2 hours west of Philadelphia. I was in complete shock, unsure how to answer her, but long story short, I agreed to interview.


On my 2-1/2 hour drive to the interview, I was a complete ball of anxiety! I had no clue what to expect, but God was in control. At the interview, I met the behavior analyst first. She had relocated from northern Michigan for her position back in September. She took me on a tour of the facility while the program director was in a meeting. I was still a nervous-wreck, but I managed to carry on a decent conversation and ask her questions about relocating. Halfway through the tour, the program director came out to meet us. We finished up the tour and I went back in for my interview. It was one of the EASIEST interviews I had ever been in! We sat down, and he asked me if I had any questions, so I proceeded to ask multiple questions about the work I’d be doing, the program, and population I’d be working with. Ten minutes into the interview, I felt a complete peace, my anxiety was completely gone, and I knew this is where God was calling me. If I was offered the job, I would go. I wasn’t even halfway home when I received a call from the recruiter saying they were offering me the job, but negotiations were still in the works. I received the call with the final offer by Friday afternoon. They had given me two weeks. I had less than 2 weeks to find a place to live, pack up all my belongings, and move to start my new position in mid-October!


Even though I knew this is where God wanted me to go, I still struggled with the fact that I had to pick up the life I knew for the last 9 years and move to Central PA in less than two weeks.


The song “I Will Follow” by Chris Tomlin became my never-ending prayer those last two weeks as I prepared to pick up the life I knew and was comfortable with, the life I had expected to continue living, but God had different plans, a different direction for me, and I am blessed to be called His. I leave you with the chorus of “I Will Follow.” You can listen to the song in its entirety here.

“Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow you

Who you love, I'll love
How you serve, I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you
I will follow you”

See you in the round!
Jennie

4 Secrets to Mommy Perfection

by Kim

That’s right Moms! I am a Mom to 7 children and I am perfect! My entire house is organized, cleaned and runs smoothly 100% of the time. We have such a clear daily routine that my children never throw fits or whine. I grow all of my own food organically. This Momma also exercises daily, never raises her voice, has children that eat their veggies and always play well with others. Want to know how I do it?

Kim's Mommy perfection secrets:

1. Laugh at what you just read and realize that does not happen for me, or anyone else! If all that does happen for you, please share your secret.

2. Forgive ourselves for the mistakes we have made.

3. Forgive our children for the mistakes they have made.

4. Laugh again and realize that these energetic little humans that are learning are the exact reason we became Mommies.


Now that we got that out of the way… I wanted to get real with you. The real lowdown of motherhood is that we have no idea what life will throw at us. We are going to maneuver this tremendous blessing called motherhood that is rich, scary, beautiful, tiring and fun at the same time. Everyone around us will give their opinions on everything we should be doing.


We will have moments where we feel we are rocking out the best job in the world. We will also have moments where we shut ourselves in the laundry room with a cup of coffee for a few minutes just to wrap our head around the day ahead (or maybe that is just me). Wherever you are in this journey, know that you are not alone. I would love for you to join me as I share my journey of love, adoption, large family living, and life in general, as a wife to one and Mommy to seven as we live in the round.


See you in the Round!
Kim

Where God Puts Us

by Christina

As I sit here, nursing the baby, I can't help but wonder just how I got here. Well, how WE got here, Richard and I. If you had told me five years ago that I would be an Air Force wife with a little boy, I probably would have peed my pants and maybe cried. But I love it! I don't want to be anywhere else. God's got me where he wants me, and by golly, if it ain't the best place for me right now! He knows best—go figure!

Richard and I met in college in Virginia—we were both at a foreign language event that neither of us wanted to be at but felt obligated to go to. I was a senior German major at the university down the street from where he was a freshman history major. Our relationship almost didn't go anywhere, as we never exchanged contact information, till he asked his German professor, with whom I'd taken a couple course, what my name was. (He had a terrible memory for names!) He emailed a generic postmaster address at my school, asking them to pass on a message to me, and a few days later, we went out to dinner!

While Richard and I were dating and he brought up the possibility of his joining the military, I kind of went along with his mom in encouraging him to NOT join. I don't know what my prejudice was against military families was at that point, but I didn't want any part of it.

After getting to know my then-soon-to-be-husband, though, I did a full one-eighty and knew the military was the only place for Richard. I watched him struggle to find a job after graduating from college and sympathized with him as he worked a retail job that, while giving him good experience, he hated. When he entered basic training February 2012, we never looked back. And he loves his job, and I love mine.

I never had any interest in a career; I used to say I wanted to translate comic books (ha). In college I joked about marrying a premed student so I wouldn't HAVE to get a job. The thought of working full-time outside the home was incredibly depressing! I knew staying home wasn't an option unless kids were in the picture, though, and for four years I worked as a dental assistant before Richard enlisted and whisked us to Colorado. Assisting was a good job for me—not career—and I really liked it, but I was so glad when I didn't have the task of being the breadwinner on my shoulders anymore.

I never had even been all that keen on having kids, either, but the Lord worked a slow (and I mean SLOW) change in me over the last few years, culminating in our becoming pregnant a few months after moving here. Even though His timing is perfect, may I selfishly say that I am SO glad we didn't have a baby before we did! But, again, His timing is the best, and we have the son that He wanted for us at the time He wanted him for us.

It's always so interesting to learn what God has going on behind the scenes when it seems nothing is happening! Whenever it seemed like life had stalled—my not wanting to work full-time, Richard's wanting to work full-time—I would remember Psalm 37:5-6.

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."

He's always got a plan for where you're going; just trust him.

Richard, William, and Asshur

I love my job of stay-at-home mom—and that's the first time I've ever been able to say I love my job. And it is, of course, the hardest job I've had, but it's the most fulfilling by far!

It will be so exciting to see what God has in store for us next!

See you in the Round!
Christina

*Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Married With No Children

by Elaine

Working in higher education, I have been really lucky to have some snow days recently and it has given me a chance to actually get started on this blogging-thing. Having never blogged before, I find it a little intimidating to just start writing. It is definitely frightening to commit to being so publicly vulnerable, and I am feeling a little insecure about what I have to offer. Am I “cool enough” to blog? Will my stories be interesting enough? What if I my writing style isn’t catchy? What if I am severely criticized for something I write? I mean, we have all seen how hateful comments on blogs can sometimes be. However, I know that the Lord has done great works in my life and maybe there are some women out there who would be encouraged by it.


I believe that everyone has a story to tell and it is important to share your own story. Not to be boastful, but because we can all learn from each others’ stories. I also love words and believe in their power. One of my “love languages" is “Words of Affirmation” (reference: Dr. Gary Chapman’s “The Five Love Languages”). This means that kind words, encouraging words, helpful words leave a greater impression in my heart, than say, a boxed gift (don’t get me wrong-- I like getting gifts too :) ) Because of the power of words and sharing stories, I love the concept of bringing together women from all walks and stages of life to share through this blog.


I especially appreciate being asked to contribute to this blog, because I feel there is a real lack of encouragement out there for married women with no children. Too often, I have found that women’s ministry is centered on either being single or being a wife AND mom. I am not trying to put down women’s ministry, because when I was single, I so was grateful and appreciative of all the resources out there. I also know that being a mom can be really, really challenging and someday (Lord-willing) I am sure I will find all of the mom-resources really helpful. Until then, I am in between. I am a wife, but do not have any children. I work full-time and give a lot of time and energy to my job.


So, my hope in publicly writing is two-fold: to offer a place for women in a similar life-stage to identify and relate, and to encourage women who may be approaching this life stage. I really want women like me to know first and foremost that this life-stage is perfectly acceptable. In fact, it is an incredible blessing! Not because of what we do or do not have compared to others in different life stages, but because God has us just where He wants us in this exact moment of time. Each and every day, God renews His grace and mercy for us and it is sufficient for that particular day (Lamentations 3:22-23 and 2 Corinthians 12:9). Daily our Father is guiding us. My life verse is Isaiah 42:16,

“And I will lead the blind, in a way they have not known, in paths that they have not known I will guide them.  I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground.  These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.”   

My goal should be to embrace each and every unique day. I do not know what my life situation will be tomorrow. I am not promised children. I am not promised that my marriage will last forever. I am not promised that I will continue to have a job. I am not even promised tomorrow! Today, however, I have a husband to love and serve. Today, I have employment of which I am called to be a good steward. Today, I have a house to tend. Today, I have friends to care for. So, “As it is said, ‘Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion’” (Hebrews 3:15). Instead of envying, despairing or feeling guilty for our life-stage, let us share in Christ-- His likeness and the journey that He is taking us on. Of course, we will struggle and wrestle and feel confused and have hopes and desires. That is being human. Embracing today and being content are much easier said than done. But let us know, first, that is okay to just be where we are today.


See you in the Round!

Elaine

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

My First Blog (Again)

by Ashley

So I have a blog. Well, I had a blog. It came about after a friend asked me about an issue that I’d briefly studied, so I typed out my notes and journal entries and sent it to her. From there, I decided that there’s not much more required to actually publish it online, so why not? I thought of a catchy name and developed my voice (mostly coming out of the attitude that most Christian women’s stuff sucks- It’s either fluff, using the same Jeremiah 29 verse out of context or it’s again about Proverbs 31 or Ruth. I love both of those passages, but come on, let’s stretch a bit people).


Anyway, in my subsequent 15 posts, I didn’t do badly considering my limited circle. On my best day, I had about 60 hits, and most of those weren’t me refreshing the page (I hope). Then I learned the tragic part of blogging: if I don’t write, then nothing goes on the website. No one reads it. There’s no point. So my little blog didn’t last past a month. A year later, I tried again. After two posts, it went away (though the last post had the most comments of any of the blogs - a total of 5, including one from my aunt saying I did a good job...not really the point and probably shouldn’t count that one...so a real total of 4 comments).


Then, a year ago I had an idea. I wanted to discover how to develop a destination that was more than just a blog. What if there was one single website dedicated to women, written by a collection of women of various backgrounds that enabled them to speak to a variety of visitors? I wondered if that style of website would also encourage people to be open to hearing from others in different life stages.


I had a friend once who was single and really wanted to be married. She was head-over-heels for all things romantic. She watched rom-coms like grandmas play bingo. She read countless Amish love stories masquerading as wholesome Christian lit. On and on. However, to combat this utopian notion, all of her married friends went the opposite way and inundated her with ‘hard truths’ about the difficulty of marriage. She decided to turn away from the voices in the trenches (who could blame her) and went to the blogs written by single women. Now most of these focused on their singleness (articles along the lines of ‘Why God allows me to be 50 and single’ and ‘How to keep your pants on when you’re turning gray with no hub’). Even with a positive spin, it can be depressing after a while.


But what if? What if she could go to a website to get a real glimpse into a married woman’s heart- her struggles, her blessings, where God is working? What if she could identify with a single woman who isn’t defined by her singleness but rather by her Heavenly Father who is working in her day-to-day life?


And the same goes for any woman in any other life stage. Where can a young mother go online where she’s not totally bombarded by how to make her child the center of her world, but rather hear from a godly older woman about how to develop her relationship with Christ so that He is the reason for her life?


This is the heart behind our blog. Each of the authors has their own style, voice, and spans a wide spectrum of life-stages. Each woman has a heart that is desperate for God and wants to come along with Him on His mission in her life and in the lives of those around her. By opening our hearts and sharing our stories, we hope that you will be encouraged to grow deeper in your walk with Christ.


See you in the Round!
Ashley