Life After 23

Growing up, I studied the Bible a lot.  I didn't study it every day of my literate childhood, but I definitely felt guilty about it when I got out of the habit.  I'd like to say that was because I loved the Lord a lot and wanted to hear from Him as much as I could, but that was a lie I told myself for most of my life.  I felt guilty about falling out of the habit of reading my Bible for the same reason that I studied so much Scripture: I was constantly searching for the correct formula to happiness and honor. I look back over the copy of the Bible I read the most during my teen and college years, and it is covered with notes I wrote in the margins.  One of my most studied passages was the one describing what the evangelical community has dubbed the Proverbs 31 Woman.  I, like so many other church-going women, have held this group of verses up as my golden standard for the woman I want to be.  And as evidenced by the various ball point pen chicken scrat...

Why do we get so excited to hear a new baby is going to be born?  We don't know this person.  Not even the mother carrying the child knows the person.  Yet, the universal reaction to the news of an impending birth is one of joy. How weird is that?  In no other situation do people, as a collective whole, get so excited to meet someone new. I mean, what if I were to walk up to you and say, "Guess what? In about nine months or so, I'm going to introduce a completely new person to you.  In fact, this person will be moving into my home.  No, no, I don't know who it is yet, and I have no idea what kind of personality she will have.  All I know is that I will be serving at her every beck and call, she won't speak our language, and I expect you to love this person and assist me in waiting on her and completely re-centering the focus of the social group onto this unknown individual."  You'd think I was crazy!  And yet, that's exactly what we do w...