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I found out the other day that MySpace is the number one website for college students. Not a big surprise, but it helped me feel better about spending time in MySpace for fun and also to promote my book, which I wrote for college-aged women.
So out of curiosity I posted a topic in one of the forums for undergrads, called “Has College affected your faith?” (MySpace => Forums => Campus Life => Undergrad). While it hasn’t brought a huge number of replies, the few it has are diverse and interesting. Several people said they never had faith and find religion ridiculous, so no, college has not affected their faith. One person, a Christian, said that it’s essential to get involved in a community of fellow believers on campus, a point with which I wholeheartedly agree. And then there’s various comments, from a Wiccan, a womanizer, and a proud party girl.
So here’s my challenge to you: if you spend time on MySpace or Facebook, why not use these networks to engage others in a discussion about faith? Without judgment, but an honest, open dialogue. Because it seems to me that we have enough forums and blogs about sex on MySpace, but not nearly enough about what really matters.
Have you been following the stock market lately? Personally, I didn’t even care about Wall Street until a few years ago, certainly not as a college student. So I’m not an expert, and if you happen to be a business major then please let me know if I screw this up. But from what I understand, we’re in a serious mess.
Big financial institutions are in deep trouble, so much so that the federal government has proposed a $700 billion bailout plan, to keep our economy from irreversible distress. So to break it down in terms that this biology major can comfortably understand, companies that deal in money have been abusing the system for years, treating credit like it grows on trees. And it’s caught up with them! But these companies hold such a stake in our economy that if they all go under, it could mean economic collapse. So the Fed wants to step in and lend (!) $700 billion to bail these people out.
As my husband just said, the problem with all of this is that people borrowed more money than they could pay. So lest I get up on my soapbox about the national economy, let’s get right to my point. When that shiny credit card application comes your way, think about what you are doing!
College students have a bad reputation for accumulating credit card debt, so then when they graduate, they’re paying on both student loans and credit cards — not really the fresh start to adult life that many graduates prefer. And while it may be fun to buy that stereo system, or the latest palm technology, or the cutest clothes — it’s not worth it unless you can reasonably pay for these things without using credit.
Why? Because nobody will be there to bail you out years from now, when the real world catches up to you.
“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7
We were watching the season opener of “House” the other night, and low and behold — a discussion about womanhood and priorities took place on the very day I had been praying about priorities in my own life. Amazing how God can use even primetime TV to get me thinking about Him!
There’s a lot going on in my world right now, and when all these things stew around in my head for too long I can feel overwhelmed, even when I’m not busy at all. I like to call this “clutter of the mind.” One of the ways I deal with this clutter is to write out my thoughts in a prayer journal. So Tuesday morning I had done this, and all day Tuesday I could feel a divine hand guiding me. It was great!
What does this have to do with “House”? Well one of the characters on the show — the patient — was an assistant to a feminist activist. This activist took advantage of her and treated her poorly. When one of the female doctors said something like — “why do you put up with her? You could be anything!” the patient responded with “no, we can aspire to be anything, but that doesn’t mean we can actually be anything.” She then talked about how some people have wings, and some don’t, and she is happy to accept her place helping someone who has wings.
Wow. That’s hard to accept, when we as women are taught that we can be anything and have it all. But honestly we can’t have it all. Nobody can! In personal terms, I could spend all day marketing my book, The College Precipice, if I wanted. But then I would miss out on being with my family today, and really seeing them with undistracted eyes. Or I wouldn’t have time to buy bread at the store, and I wouldn’t be able to have a sandwich. So just on a sheer logistical level, I can’t have it all.
And then what if everyone decided to become CEO’s, and nobody was left to do the more mundane work? What if nobody wanted to ever clean up a bathroom? Can you imagine how messy your dorm would be, if nobody took responsibility for cleaning up because they are so busy doing “more important” things?
Thank God for His divine hand guiding us to what’s important for each day. You can trust Him with that, you know. Your place (and my place) is in His hands, where your God-given gifts can help you shine like the light you are –wings or not.
When Alaskan governor Sarah Palin agreed to be McCain’s running mate, she turned the 2008 race for the White House upside down. And while I don’t consider myself a political person, Palin got my attention — as a woman, wife, citizen, Christian, and mother.
Before you stop reading what initially appears to be another political commentary, bear with me. What an amazing time to be a woman! But despite considerable advances in gender equality, it’s also a very confusing time to be a woman. One of the greatest issues right now is that the liberal feminist left doesn’t know what to do with Palin. This is the group that has always touted a woman’s right to have a career, end an unwanted pregnancy, do it all, even to the point of the second-highest office in the nation. And now we have a pro-life, gun-savvy, mother of five, conservative Republican woman making history. Confident, and without apology!
I read a comment on a blog the other day from a woman who is so confused by this, that she literally said “I don’t know what to do now. Where are the feminists?” as if she needed this group to think for her before she could move forward. So what’s the difference between this, and needing a husband to think for her?
Confusing indeed. So if you are a Christian woman in college, it shouldn’t surpise you when you receive conflicting messages about womanhood from all sides. Nobody can make up their minds it seems. But rest assured that God knew exactly who He wanted you to be from the moment you were conceived, and He has a plan for you. Keep your eyes on Him!
For more thoughts about Christian women, feminism, and Godly confidence, check out my book The College Precipice: Faith and Life for Young Women.
