Settling for the Just

My husband and I work with high school kids at our church, and last night we had a bunch of kids from years past come over for a little party while they were all home for Thanksgiving break. I had a number of conversations with kids in different stages of college life - the freshman who loves college except for the fact that he's failing college algebra, the student teacher who gets to go to space camp with her seventh graders next week, the grad student who is getting married in a few months... those were the days.

One of the girls is struggling with choosing a career... and she has only six days of college class left in her college education. She told my friend and me that she "just wants to be a wife and a mom," but people at her school don't look favorably upon that decision, especially since she's really intelligent and capable of doing so many things. My friend who is just a wife and a mom said something to the effect of, "Just is not 'just.'" In other words, just doing something sounds like we're settling for what's here even though there's something better beyond.

That really got me thinking. I don't want to just do anything. I don't want to just be a wife. I don't want to just teach small cooking classes in my house. I don't want to just work with high school kids at my church. God didn't create me to just do stuff. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men." I'm working for my Father and bringing Him glory in what I do, just by being. Just by living. Just by allowing Jesus to live His life through me. So I'm a wife. I teach people how to cook. I spend time with high school kids because I like them. And I let Jesus do it all and get all the glory.

That is as far away from settling as I know to get.