(Gasp!) I actually was forgetting about something!

I listened to two very good sessions yesterday, at the conference. I'd like to share about one in particular. It focused on what we young Christian women should be doing with our "in-between" years. (Would you believe it - the speakers used the Proverbs 31 woman as an example!)

I really only have time to mention the one thing that was impressed on my mind the most.

Okay. So..... I'm a young lady who is out of school. I love the Lord. I want to serve Him with all my heart. I want to be a witness. I want to be a wife and mother some day. I want to raise godly children who can help win the world to Christ.

That's great for the future. What about NOW? Am I just suppose to be put on a shelf somewhere?

I already know the answer to that: NO, of course not! I know that God has called me to serve everywhere and every way I can, during this special time in my life. Yes, everywhere I can. That little word is important. God hasn't called me to desert my family, but rather to pull with them.

So I've devoted myself to being the best sister and daughter I can be. I also help with outreach things. We help our church do "mission" type work in our town. I try write things to reach the unsaved. I use this blog as a way to reach out to young Christian ladies who need some fellowship or encouragement. I earn a little money teaching sewing lessons. I sew things for ladies who can't find modest clothing in the stores. I try to develop relationships with young ladies in our church, and be a good sister to them.

These are all things that I do RIGHT NOW. (Isn't it nice to know there are more choices available to a young woman than just going to college?) Of course, I haven't forgotten about the future. I pray about it. And I prepare for it.

Or at least I think I am preparing. After yesterday, I've started asking myself if I'm preparing quite as much as I ought to be.

I am apprenticed under my mother to learn how to run a home. And my parents are always teaching me about spiritual matters that will help me be a better wife and mother.

...But I think I've fallen into the trap of "the other extreme."

Yes, in fear of falling prey to the mindset that says "Hey, I'm gonna be a career woman and prove that I can succeed just as well in the world as a man can!" I have swung to the other way of thinking that says "Hey, I can neglect my mind. After all, I need practical skills more, anyway."

And I was the one who LOVED school! I still do.

I've now realized that I should be developing all the talents I can. I just need to use them correctly. If I'm going to be a helpmeet for a man someday, I need to understand and care about the topics he's going to care about. Men need helpers who can help them. They need well-educated women, well-read women, well-spoken women.

I still don't want a career. But I suddenly find myself desiring to develop skills that will help someone with his career. ...Or rather, his mission. That way both of us can serve the Lord together.

With all we've got.