Respect and Honor
Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:7 NIV) In the midst of school, I sometimes—not always—find time to attend my Bible Study Fellowship class on Monday nights, when I get out of clinicals early or they’re canceled. Two weeks ago, we had our lesson on Romans 13:1-7, titled “Submission to Governing Authorities.” If you have chance, read the passage. It’s still stuck in my head weeks later. And I didn’t want to write about it, really, but I can’t get it out of my head or my heart. I...
Read MoreLabor and Delivery
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27 NIV) I’m writing this as I’m getting ready for my OB rotation. It’ll be my first day on the mother-baby unit. And while I’m looking so forward to all the newborns…the moms kind-of freak me out. Labor and delivery is a distinctly female experience, so it’s interesting to try to reconcile a God whom we call He with the idea that we are all made in his image, with his attributes—both men and women. I find myself looking at the birthing process trying to find God the...
Read MoreAlways There
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV) My world right now consists of school, clinicals, and it seems like very little else, so forgive me if all my stories stem from what seems like the same group of experiences. It’s because they do! Entering a field where we work serving others in such a way, I can’t help but see snippets of God everywhere: compassion, justice, healing, mercy, and hope, to name a few. Working with sick kids today at the hospital, I can’t...
Read MoreAre You OK With Being a Slave?
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16 NIV) I feel like my time is not my own because of school. I feel obligated to family functions and Skype dates with people I love. I’m “slaving away” at all these things, choosing to do them because I gave my word, it’s the right thing to do, or it’s what I’ve prayed for all these years. My Bible study’s been going through Romans, and last week was the first time in a...
Read MoreLoved in His Promises
“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19 NIV) Have you felt that God made you a promise? I’m talking like a son for Abraham and Sarah or a king for Israel, or the best promise, Jesus for all mankind. Well, maybe not quite that level, but something that you heard God say will come to pass that seems a bit (or a lot) impossible? I was thinking about how God has been moving throughout my life, and of all the things that I was sure were going to happen because I’d...
Read MoreNever in Darkness
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NIV) I know it’s been more than a week, but I’m still geeking out over and marveling at the solar eclipse from last Monday. It was so beautiful! Where were you when it happened? I was jealous of my family in Corvalis, OR and Nashville, TN, as they were in the path of totality. But I also didn’t want to brave the crowds of people heading to the darkened path. Instead, I got to marvel at the 92-93% totality that we got here in...
Read MoreTake a Break
Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. (Mark 6:31 NLT) Seven weeks into Summer quarter, I finally feel like I’m finally catching my breath in this accelerated Master of Science in Nursing program. I’d always heard that nursing school could be tough, but try condensing everything BSNs take three or four years to learn into about 15 months, and then you have my program. I know it’s not parenting, or working at a start-up, or perhaps...
Read MoreConversations Seasoned With Salt
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5-6 NIV) This little nugget of two verses stood out to me as I was trying to figure out what to write about. Full confession: when I haven’t steeped myself in the discipline of going to God in a specific quiet time, it’s not as easy for me to write an FYI article. With all that’s been going on my life, my quiet times have suffered! So I was perusing the Bible a bit last minute, praying...
Read MoreCalls Me by Name
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “And I don’t know where they have put him.” At this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? What is it you are looking for? Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). (John 20:13-16 NIV) I’ve loved how my Bible study class has...
Read MoreDecisions, Decisions
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV) There are two things about decision-making that I dislike immensely: waiting to hear all the available choices, and then having to choose the “right” one. This has been especially true while applying to graduate school and waiting for an answer. For those of you who know me, this whole process has been quite long. First it was medical school, then something in psych or teaching, and finally—after a long, hard look at what I think God might have planned—nursing school. And then...
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