I’m celebrating two kinds of freedom today. And I’m thankful for both.
But most of all, I’m thankful for this: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1a)
Happy Freedom Day, friends. May we live fully into freedom today.
So You Say You’re a Church Lady: My Response
June 30, 2014 by 3 Comments
I’m adding my own voice to the Church Lady series today—not because I think I’m a “powerhouse woman” by any means, but because I love the church and wanted to share my heart for the church with you, my readers! The other women who I have interviewed so far have inspired and challenged me, and I am grateful for each one of them. I hope my thoughts can add even just a little more fuel to the fire of our passion for Jesus and His church!
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1. Tell us a little bit about the church that you’re a part of.
My husband is the College Pastor at Antioch Community Church in Wheaton, a non-denominational church in the Chicago suburbs. Our local church is part of a larger church-planting organization (Antioch International Movement of Churches) that has multiple churches in the US and overseas!
2. What does it look like, in your life, to be an active part of your church?
Even before Michael stepped in to full-time ministry, we were always actively involved in church. Now that he’s a pastor, it is just a little more “official.” I help him lead the college ministry by discipling female leaders, hosting and helping lead small groups, and generally just being available for whatever our church needs, whether that is showing up for a meeting, helping with a retreat, or bringing food to an event!
3. How are your unique gifts and abilities strengthened by being part of a local church?
The church is amazing because it’s the place where a bunch of amateurs get to do meaningful, life-changing work. I say that with deep joy and love—I’m thankful that God uses amateurs! My gifts of developing and discipling other women flourish in the church even though I don’t have any formal training in that area. But God has taught me through his word and through his presence and through his people how to love and lead others in the church.
I went to school for many years in order to get the academic degrees that I have—degrees that give me the credentials I need to teach at the college level and have access to impacting the lives of my students every week. But I don’t have to hold a degree to impact others at church. My life and the fruit of my life are the things that matter within the walls of the church—and I can impact others without having any fancy letters behind my name. We all can. That’s a huge relief—and a high calling.
4. How has being part of a church challenged and changed you?
I am an achiever, and I like being able to move from one task to another with purpose and clarity. Church doesn’t work that way, because people don’t work that way. People—who the church is made up of—need love, cultivation, guidance, accountability…the list goes on. I need all of those things; you need all of those things. But we don’t move from one plane of growth to another seamlessly. “Through many trials, thorns, and snares I have already come…” Church is the place where we help one another through those trials and where we help one another continue to say yes to Jesus. It’s difficult at times. Very difficult. People don’t always respond well to pain or to challenge—I sure don’t 100 percent of the time! But as I continue to learn to love God’s people, I continue to learn more about the boundless love of Christ. And that is what has both challenged and changed me. God’s love is changing his people, and it’s changing me as I learn to love them.
5. Why do you value church? What do you love about church?
I value Church because Jesus values Church—if His bride was worth his life then it can certainly be worth mine. My time, my energy, my heart, my tears, my life—it all belongs to Christ. If he spent all he had for the people of God, I want to give my life doing the same.
The Lie of Feeling “Behind” in Life
March 24, 2014 by 14 Comments
Michael and I are in a season that has required a lot of energy—both physical and emotional—from both of us. We are still getting this first year of parenting under our belts, and Ella has had three ear infections in three months (read: lots of interrupted sleep). Between our jobs, our parenting, our commitments to church, and our marriage, our proverbial plates are full. We love all that we do, and it’s more than some people do and much less than others. Either way, let’s just say that for us, life feels more than a bit stretched.
My tendency in seasons like this is to feel overwhelmed most of the time and carry that emotion as a burden. I fight anxiety or the nagging feeling of constantly being “behind.” This is an area of my life that I am seeking to surrender to God. It is a continual journey for me to say yes to God and declare that my feelings do not determine the truth. The truth is what God says, and he tells me that I am securely held in his hands.
I am not “behind” in life if I am in step with Christ. Next to him—with him—is the exact place I’m supposed to be. If his pace with me is slower than it is with my best friend or my colleague, it is not my responsibility to try to catch up to them. In doing so, I would leave Jesus behind. Similarly, if his pace with me is faster than it is with my friend or my neighbor and if I slow down rather than pressing ahead with him, I leave Jesus behind.
I am not “behind” in life if I am in step with Christ. Share on XNow—truly—Jesus never leaves or forsakes us. I know that I can’t really leave Jesus behind. The one who “fills all in all” (Eph. 1:23) cannot be left behind. But I can move out of the place of peace he offers to me when I am constantly comparing myself to others or considering how my life measures up to theirs. That’s where this feeling of being “behind” comes from, when it comes down to it: comparison. Because if I am only considering my life in light of what Christ is calling me to, I won’t think about being behind—or ahead. My only goal will be staying in step with him.
Some of us feel behind because we’re not married yet, or we don’t have children yet, or we don’t have the career we want yet, or we don’t have the _____ yet. Fill in your own blank. That feeling of being behind can fill us with anxiety, even fear. We are afraid we are missing out on the life that we should have.
My question to you is this—Where is Jesus in your life? Are you ahead of him? Are you desperately looking for a spouse when he hasn’t yet clearly opened that season in your life? Are you imagining your life when you have three kids and the white fence, placing all of your hopes in a future that has not yet materialized? Are you running into opportunities that Jesus hasn’t granted to you? Slow down. Stay in step with him. Don’t run headlong into things that God doesn’t have for you. You will end up moving forward, sure enough, but without Jesus—and that is not really moving forward at all.
Are you behind him, dragging your feet against what you know he’s called you to? Is there some relationship that needs to be mended that you refuse to reconcile? Is there some leap of faith he is calling you to take in your work or your life that you are hesitating on the edge of? Take the leap—run ahead and into Jesus. There is no better place to be.
And if you’re in step with Christ—doing what you’re called to, seeking to grow with him—stay put. Even if those around you are running ahead or slowing their pace, you are exactly where you are meant to be: with Jesus. If, like me, you tend to worry about being “behind” in life, look over and see the one who loves you more than his own life. See Jesus. He has you where he has you because he loves you.
What does it look like for you to stay in step with Jesus in this season?
