Being productive

Family Readiness Group (FRG) gives me a lot of things to think about. I’m still working through some of the things I picked up at the last meeting on January 14th. Our FRG leader said that she is a lot busier this deployment then she was last time because of her baby. It struck me as odd, but after thinking about it, she’s right. I go to work each day and come home and I am left to my own unstructured devices. I can go to the mall if I want. I can go out with my sister, cousins, or friends if I want to. I can pretty much do anything. And, the problem is scheduling with other people. So, I spend several nights a week crocheting or reading or whatever. Mostly I crochet.

I can get away with a lack of general things to do right now because Josh and I are still able to talk most nights. It’s important to take advantage of that opportunity. So, I do. This is going to end fairly soon. He’s Iraq bound, and we won’t be able to talk often.

So, what will I do to occupy my time? I am leaning towards going to graduate school. I gave up my intention of graduate school when Josh and I got married because we needed to pay down debt and he wanted to finish college. But my desire never went entirely away.

An opportunity like this does not happen often for a married person. My dad gave up his intentions on pursuing a graduate degree in math for his wife and their financial stability. I am sure he has no regrets. I have no regrets from my decision. But, I have been given a golden opportunity, the ability to attend night classes without affecting another person’s life. The question is do I take the opportunity?

Allow this little tangent before I answer the question. Our pastor is doing a series on heroic living. During the introductory sermon, I was pleasantly surprised to hear him mention names of women in the Bible who are heroes. Josh and I talked about it, and he asked, “Why is it important that women also be brought up as heroes?”

Instead of going off on an equal opportunity monologue, I pointed out that a lot of young men in church want to marry “Proverbs 31 women” but few can quantify what one looks like in a practical application. A man requesting a “Proverbs 31 woman” is like a woman requesting an “Ephesians 5” man. However, women are brought up with the same Bible lessons on the male heroes of the Bible, so they can quantify a specific characteristic that they are interested in. “I want to marry a repentant man like David.” “I want to marry a defender of the faith like the prophets or Peter.” It is important to also have women on the forefront because the Bible expresses valuable characteristics that both men and women should emulate by using women. And it is important to express a feminine bravery like in Deborah and Esther, or a feminine faithful love like in Ruth, or a feminine humility like in Hannah.

So, Josh has been reading a biography of Martin Luther. And in our conversation the other night, he said, “Liz, you’re a lot like Katherina Luther.” Since I’m not a Luther expert, I asked him to elaborate, and he complemented my household skills that revolve around the business end of things. I save and invest money, I pay off debts, and I keep the household liquid. So, Josh said that when Martin Luther was off doing reformation stuff, Katherina Luther was being an active land manager and running things that were typically a “mans” domain.

The overall point is that I should take the opportunity I have been given and go back to school. I should follow the example of Katherina Luther and pursue things as I have the opportunity to do so, especially when I have given up opportunities in the past.