set apart

I had a painful conversation with some friends last week. We got together for lunch and on the way there, one shared that she was absolutely heartbroken over news she had received. A friend from college had called to tell her she was considering having an abortion. She had become pregnant by someone she didn’t see a future with, and in the days since, had continued partying, drinking, and had even done cocaine several times. My friend was devastated, and against her best efforts to dissuade her, the girl proceeded, arguing that having a baby at 25 "wasn’t right for her" even though she “knew the baby would be beautiful.” So at two months old, a life was ended and my two friends in the car were in tears. I sat quietly in the passengers seat.

I recounted the story to my mom and dad at dinner last night. Their eyes filled with tears, but I was filled with something else.  Anger, disgust, righteous indignation. How can you be so careless? Reckless? At 25 years old, with a college degree, how can one not realize the consequences of her actions? I openly admitted it to my parents… “I don’t feel grace. I don’t feel sympathy. I feel disgust.” I’ve become conditioned to this way of thinking and have even put a personal spin on it: my brother and sister are adopted. Their biological mom is a heroin addict (or was at the time.) She has made a lot of really bad decisions. But she made two really good ones. Having her babies, and realizing she was unfit to keep them. Because they are the best gift God ever gave our family. I left dinner feeling self-righteous.

Until this morning... I was reading in Romans and I got to chapter 2…

“1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”

And then I heard that still, small voice say “She’s my baby too.” And my selfish heart shattered into a thousand pieces. How can you be so careless? Reckless? At 25 years old, with a college degree, how can one not realize the consequences of her actions?

It’s easy to sit with likeminded friends and talk about the goodness of God… but approaching a nonbeliever with that same boldness? Banish the thought. At the end of the day, I am no different from the girl in the story. My sins seem more sophisticated, but the consequences: eternal. The fullness of God’s grace is that this precious baby that died too soon will spend eternity in heaven. But the unbelieving momma? My inaction will only result in her spending eternity in hell.  At best my actions are careless, at worst they’re truly diabolical.

We have a family friend who has been an activist for the pro-life movement for many years. He tells a story of a pro-life rally and someone coming up to him and yelling, “You only care about the babies!” He took it to heart and came back and started a nonprofit to provide support for expectant moms. If abortion breaks your heart as much as it breaks mine, do something about it. But don’t forget, it starts with the moms.  There is no life apart from Christ, and we have no business identifying with a movement that calls itself just that, pro-life, if we are unwilling to reach souls for Christ.

I'm a Blogger.

Good morning, loves. Well, I've been holding out on you and I guess it's about time I spill... I got a job! Not a career. Not a full-time, big girl, grown-up, wearing-pencil-skirts-to-the-office, 9-5 job, but a job, nonetheless. And it's in my field. Using my degree!  


This month I signed a contract to work as a blogger for a social media firm in Fort Lauderdale. Wait what? Yeah, I'm a blogger. Totally weird, huh? 

[my bio from the company website... Wait what?!]

I started this blog thinking it would improve my communication skills and make me a stronger writer. I hoped it would help cultivate a sense of self-discipline and a self-starter mentality. And it did. And, oddly enough, this little blog has opened doors I never imagined it could.


I didn't ever expect to "pursue a career in blogging," mainly because I felt like it was one of those novel ideas (ha, novel, gotta love a literary pun) that are too far beyond reach. Kind of like an 8 year old boy who wants to be a professional baseball player. Or every girl who saw How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days wants to work for a magazine. But, here I am, 22 years old and I'm going to get paid to do something I've been doing for fun for over 2 years. 

It's a dream. It's hard work. Sometimes it's frustrating, but the payoff is incredible (and I'm not talking money.) I tried to explain it to my mom recently and it's difficult to articulate, but there comes this point when I'm ready to pull my hair out. Things don't sound right, the piece isn't coming together. My eye starts twitching and I think, "I hate blogging, I hate writing, I hate words." And then something just clicks. Sometimes it's the perfect word. Sometimes it's the first sentence. Sometimes it's the realization that I need to scrap the whole thing and start over. Whatever it may be, things just come together all of the sudden. It's an epiphany. It's an adrenaline rush, kind of like falling in love or finding the perfect pair of heels in your size. It's the first bite of a warm cookie. It's the winning basket in overtime and the crowd goes wild. 


I'm a blogger. And I love it. 


It's funny though, and I'll be completely honest, I was not looking for jobs in social media. I was dead set, hell-bent on working in the nonprofit sector. But this opportunity presented itself and, oddly enough, about 25% of my work so far has dealt directly with nonprofits. God's funny like that. 

So, the nitty gritty: I'm still in Coastal Carolina. I'm still working at the restaurant. I work remotely from home or the office. I may relocate to Florida, just like I may end up in Timbuktu. It has been a lesson in juggling, sometimes I get it right and sometimes everything ends up on the floor. But I'm learning to manage. I know I'm doing things a little differently than most "young professionals" my age, and I'm ok with that. If I can give you any advice (if you're the type of person who takes advice from someone who clearly has a lot left to figure out) I'd say don't get locked into a certain idea of what your future should look like. Sometimes life surprises you in ways far more interesting than you could ever dream. Just be open to it. 


Thanks for reading, today & always, and for allowing me to share my craft with you. It truly means the world to me. 

Brownies & Brownie Pie

Tuesday afternoon already? This week is going by at lightning speed! Lately I have realized how prone I am to counting down: days until my next trip, miles until my run is over, minutes until 5 o'clock. It's such a funny thing though... the minute I stop paying attention to the minutes in the day, I find myself enjoying them more. 


You know how I mentioned my "big speaking engagement" this past weekend? Well, Sunday afternoon I was invited to share with two Brownie troops (twenty 2nd graders!) about QH2O. I was nervous. Explaining the global clean water crisis to a bunch of 7-year-olds is a daunting task . I didn't know if they would understand. I worried they wouldn't be interested. I also was afraid of upsetting them. How do you look at a child and say "Every 15 seconds a child, just like you, dies from a water related illness." But the minute I entered that room, my anxiety left me. 

They were enthusiastic and passionate. Empathetic, interested, and attentive. They asked intelligent (heartbreaking) questions. Questions I don't have the answer to. But most importantly, they were moved to act. When I talk with adults about what we are doing, many don't understand. They refuse to believe that they are capable of making a difference. Children are different though, they still know they can change the world. Even if it means saving up coins in an old milk jug in hopes of someday financing a well. I left feeling inspired, encouraged, and reassured that this field, nonprofit communications, is exactly what I want to do. 

In honor of the Brownies, I made a Brownie Pie Friday night. That's a lie. I've had this recipe marked on Pinterest for weeks and I finally got around to making it. It is delicious. The kind of thing that each bite makes you happy to be alive. And, since there are no guarantees in this life, I found it perfectly delectable with strawberries for breakfast. Brownies and brownie pie... whatta weekend. :)

Mission-Driven

Last night I found myself feeling deeply saddened by the scandal going on with Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Planned Parenthood. A brief synopsis, in case you're unfamiliar: Last week Komen announced that they would no longer provide grants for Planned Parenthood's breast cancer screening program. Public outrage ensued, and several days later Komen reversed the decision. The argument was deeply polarized and politicized. Pro-choice supporters of Komen jumped ship quickly, offering contributions to Planned Parenthood totaling $3 million in just four days. Pro-lifers felt they had been duped by Komen, who made a quick change in the face of opposition. Planned Parenthood was quick to cast blame, pointing fingers at conservatives for "bullying" Komen into the initial decision. This morning, Komen's Vice President of Public Policy, Karen Handel, resigned.