A most meaningful endeavor

My studies leave me no time for blogging as much as I'd like, or at all; this is old news. And yet, a recent assignment for my Developmental Psychology class made me smile. For those who have been wondering exactly what the heck I'm talking about every time I refer to ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, or an illusive-sounding "clinic," now you'll know.

"Life Center is a non-profit organization that provides counseling and resources to young mothers and pregnant women free of charge. Although I had already decided to begin volunteering at Life Center prior to this assignment,  I saw this as an opportunity to reflect on my early experiences there. Conveniently but coincidentally, lay counseling is right in-line with my career goals of becoming a counseling psychologist.

            After many hours of watching videos, mentorship, and direct observation, I am now able to assist women in making informed decisions regarding their unplanned pregnancies. When a woman comes to us for clothes, diapers, or an ultrasound, I first sit down with her in a private room and invite her to express her current feelings and concerns. I offer her food-for-thought about her baby and practical information to help her with her immediate needs; but more than anything I simply provide a caring, listening ear.

            What stands out most about my experience thus far is how it has shown me that I am nothing like the "judgmental" person that society labels Christians as being. We ignorantly and hypocritically throw the "J" word around as if it grants us authority. I knew the stones were flung by hurting and confused individuals---but never has the fallacy of their words been so real than over the past several months.

            Before starting at the Life Center, I thought that surely my "judgmental" demeanor towards clients would be written all over my face: on a conscious level I knew it was, well, feces; but on a subconscious level, I wondered if it was true. And yet, as I sat with girl after girl, my meritless concern never so much as crossed my mind. Why? Because just like everyone else, these were real people. Beautiful, unique, kind-hearted people. And they responded to me because they could sense that I cared. Heart-and-gut-wrenching story after heart-and-gut-wrenching story, all I could think was, My heart bleeds for you. I could have been where you're at. You're worth so much more than your past indicates that you know. And oh, Someone loves you.

            After counseling one young woman she nodded her head, looked into my eyes and said "Thank you. I haven't thought of it that way." Suffice it to say, I have every confidence that what I am doing is an important, meaningful, and intrinsically rewarding endeavor."

Obesity... and why I am grateful for it.

A recent discussion forum for a class allowed me to touch on a cause that is near and dear to my heart: health. It's short and more-or-less slapped together, but I thought I'd take the opportunity to share it here anyway.

Obesity cannot and should not be "cured" in the same manner in which we go about "curing" everything else. (Since when was taking tolerable doses of harmful chemicals for the sake of exchanging one symptom for twenty additional ones the definition of "curing", anyway?) Obesity is a lifestyle issue---a concept we have difficulty understanding in a society that is content to numb symptoms and ignore causes.

Americans are used to instantaneous gratification, an expectation that bleeds into every area of our lives---even our health. Of course, we don't look at it that way, but think about it. Got anxiety? Pop a pill. Your child has "ADHD"? Pop HIM a pill. Because this "solution" is more appealing to patients and more profitable for pharmacies, we're content to turn a blind eye. We forget that anxiety is our body's way of asking us to slow down, and can be cured with regular exercise, adequate sleep, and adding a little margin to our daily lives. Furthermore, ADHD is a 21st-century problem resulting from 21st-century causes; swap the soda for some carrots, and after a while you'll begin to notice a difference in a child's behavior.

But we move too fast to form priorities or engage common-sense. Surely she's talking crazy; carrots and sleep aren't in vending machines! 

This is primarily why we are obese.

We fear and resent the very prospect of being overweight, when in all reality we should be grateful that our bodies are such amazing and capable machines which do almost everything for a reason. Obesity isn't a nuisance; it's a warning. And it's rampant in our country because we've forsaken the importance of our health. 

For the sake of my fellow Americans, I am thankful that there is still a symptom that refuses to be silenced.

(I don't write this as a genetically-blessed skinny chick shaking the finger at overweight people, but as someone who once came very close to pushing 200lbs. If you struggle with your weight, I encourage you to check out rebootwithjoe.com.)

All I have is gratitude to offer you.

I type this with heavy eyelids, throbbing feet, and a house that's messier than all of it's messiest days since we've been here rolled into one. But I need the record to show that I'm so unbelievably blessed it just about brings me to tears.

God is good. And not because the last two months have been more than I could have hoped for, and in so many different ways---but because even when we don't know or think we like where things are going, He's got a plan. 

If you grew up "in the church", that might seem like a cliche thing to say; but I'm not saying it as a token. I'm saying it as someone who has watched Him piece the puzzle of my life together to create something so much more rich in purpose and beautiful than the disaster of a Picasso I could have ever hoped to aspire to. Let the times that our souls overflow with joy and enthusiasm at the prospect of what those plans are unfolding to be serve as reminders for the times that we scramble to understand them. Because if you walk with God, you know that both times exist. And that the second kind of time makes the first kind a whole lot sweeter.

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose..." 

-Romans 8:28