Since there’s no reason why only the “attached” should have all the fun on this “love”ly holiday, we’re going to be celebrating what I’m calling The Week of the Valentine. It will begin on February 7th and the festivities will last until February 14th. But I’m not divulging my secrets – in order to find out just what fabulous stuff is being planned, you’re just going to have to come back during The Week of the Valentine. Don’t forget to mark your calendars!

If you’re wondering what on earth “raise mine ebenezer” means, here’s a great explanation of the Biblical meaning behind the words in the song.

1. Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.

2. Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

3. O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.

This is my Father’s world.
On the day of its wondrous birth
The stars of light in phalanx bright
Sang out in Heavenly mirth.

This is my Father’s world.
E’en yet to my listening ears
All nature sings, and around me rings
The music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world.
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas,
His hand the wonders wi’ought.

This is my Father’s world.
The birds that their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white.
Declare their Maker’s praise.

This is my Father’s world.
He shines in all that’s fair.
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world.
From His eternal throne,
He watch doth keep when I’m asleep,
And I am not alone.

This is my Father’s world.
Dreaming, I see His face.
I ope my eyes, and in glad surprise
Cry, ” The Lord is in this place.”

This is my Father’s world.
I walk a desert lone.
In a bush ablaze to my wondering gaze
God makes His glory known.

This is my Father’s world.
Among the mountains drear,
‘Mid rending rocks and earthquake shocks,
The still, small voice I hear.

This is my Father’s world.
From the shining coui’ts above.
The Beloved One, His only Son,
Came—a pledge of deathless love.

This is my Father’s world.
Now closer to Heaven bound.
For dear to God is the earth Christ trod,
No place but is holy ground.

This is my Father’s world.
His love has filled my breast,
I am reconciled, I am His child,
My soul has found His rest.

This is my Father’s world.
A wanderer I may roam.
Whatever my lot, it matters not,
My heart is still at home.

This is my Father’s world.
O let me ne’er forget
That tho’ the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world.
The battle is not done.
Jesus who died shall be satisfied.
And earth and Heaven be one.

This is my Father’s world.
Should my heart be ever sad?
The Lord is King—let the Heavens ring
God reigns—let the earth be glad.

I hope y’all are enjoying your summer. A Lady in Waiting will be up-and-running again by the fall, with one big change . . . we’re going digital.

As much as I prefer to hold a hard copy of a magazine in my hands and flip through the pages, I really believe this is what’s best for A Lady in Waiting at this point in time. Magazine printing and mailing is dreadfully costly and we just aren’t bringing in the funds to support it, which is why it’s been so long since we’ve released an issue.

Now the magazine will be available to download online. Current subscribers will receive e-mails with a code to use when downloading so that they aren’t charged, and will have their subscriptions extended to make up for the difference in price. Those who weren’t subscribers to the print magazine can purchase each issue individually, right here from the website.

Additionally, I hope to be able to publish bi-monthly instead of quarterly, as we won’t have to factor in printing and mailing costs and times. This is dependent upon submission quantity however, so be sure to send in your articles, recipes, questions, book reviews, etc. if you’d like to see six issues per year.

Thank you for your patience and continued prayers as we work towards this goal!

Blessings,

Rebekah

Sadly, little girls today are being trained to grow up into young women who feel they have no choice but to attend college after high school is over. If they don’t, they’re told, they won’t be able to support themselves when they move out on their own, will never “find themselves,” won’t meet any eligible young men to marry, won’t be able to find an adequate job, or simply will regret it later in life and won’t feel “fulfilled.” According to modern-day thinking, women have the right to go to college and so they should–whether they want to or not.

Certainly there is nothing wrong with furthering one’s education, be it at college or elsewhere. This is, in fact, a noble cause! But why does society feel the need to pressure girls towards their bachelor’s and master’s degrees (or the “college experience”), depriving them of the beautiful blessing of choice?

What happened to freedom of choice if girls are being trained from an early age that attending college is the next–the required–step after high school? Where is their right to make decisions for themselves when it has been ingrained in their minds that women who don’t attend college are somehow inferior, incompetent, or unsatisfied? This sort of thinking, though absurd, is tragically prevalent today, even though 100 years ago it was rare for a woman to attend college and somehow the world, and the women within it, managed just fine. However, it seems that society in general has become convinced by those who advocate feminism and women’s rights that if a woman does not attend college she will live a life of inferiority and regret. This is simply not so.

This article is not to demean women who do attend college, but simply to point out that it is plausible, and actually fairly common, to choose to not attend college and have no regrets over it later in life.

Staying home to cook and clean?

So, if a girl doesn’t go to college, what does she do?  When I was a senior in high school I was often asked that question, in one form or another. It generally came after the shocked silence following my announcement that I wasn’t planning to attend college. My answer would vary slightly, depending on the listener and how open they seemed to hearing about a life route that differed from the norm. To some, I would say that God had not led me to college and that, unless He did, I believed I was to remain at home. To those who were more skeptical I would often point out I already had the job I desired, and it seemed senseless to leave it to pursue a degree just so that in a few years I could return and try to get another job just like it!

A few years later (while I would have been a college senior (had I pursued a four-year degree), the director at the dance studio I taught at offered me a promotion. Acting, one of my passions, was also something I was able to pursue – professionally! Had I been in college I might have been involved in a musical or a play, but certainly not for compensation. Staying at home I was also able to begin working for our state homeschool organization, alongside my parents, and to continue in my childcare position. All of these were part-time jobs, some running in different seasons than others, allowing me ample time to stay home and help around the house, learn from my parents, go on short-term mission trips, and spend time with my younger sisters as well as my older sisters and their families, and to enjoy even more opportunities!

This is not to boast of my accomplishments, but to dispel the myth that a college degree is required to obtain a job that one enjoys, or that stay-at-home daughters must do nothing but remain at home to be “the maid.” Ask the Lord for opportunities to use the talents and desires He has given you.

Long-term success is not defined by degrees.

A degree does not guarantee a career; a job does not always require a degree; and a college diploma does not define a person. Take a look at those around you. Do you know who has a college degree and who does not? Perhaps the people you think are the most educated are really “only” high school graduates or GED recipients. Maybe the next-door neighbor who does lawn maintenance for a living has a PhD. One member of my family has been offered teaching and office management positions, even without any sort of college education. On the other hand, another (seminary-educated) relative is currently without a pastorate and, until just recently, was working (happily!) as a painter to support his family.

Granted, there are some career paths which it would be foolish to pursue without a relevant degree, but many occupations don’t require a college diploma and some of the people who have made the most significant contributions to our society were people with no formal training in their fields.

For example,¹ Thomas Edison, who patented over 1000 inventions and introduced the electric light bulb to the world, had only three months of formal schooling throughout his life. Wilbur and Orville Wright, inventors and builders of the first successful airplane, had no more than high school educations, and yet were learned in aeronautics and also ran a weekly newspaper at one point in their lives. Henry Ford became a machinist at the age of 16 and later held a job as an engineer, eventually building a gasoline engine and his first automobile—the beginning of a very successful career and one of the world’s leading automobile companies, where he introduced the world to the assembly line system—all with only three years of formal schooling. Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of United States president Franklin Roosevelt, had no college education. After her marriage to FDR, Eleanor became an avid humanitarian, actively assisted her husband in his political career, wrote a newspaper column, and was herself a well-known political figure. Successful cooking show host, author, and magazine publisher Rachael Ray got her education in the food industry from following her mom around the family restaurant and then working her way up through jobs, beginning by holding a position as a candy counter sales clerk at Macy’s Marketplace.

Would you have guessed that these were “uneducated” people? It’s nearly impossible to know who has some level of “higher education” and who does not, based solely on what job they hold. Looking deeper, however, we see that no matter how well educated an employee may be, without a good work ethic her education is generally useless, since most employers will not keep such a person in their service for very long. This alone should help reveal to us that it is not her education, but rather the character of a person, that truly defines who she is.

Finding fulfillment in life.

One of the arguments I have heard in favor of all women attending college is that, when a non-collegiate woman is married and has children (assuming, remember, that she has even found a husband despite not attending college), she will feel unfulfilled and regret not having both a college degree and a career before settling down. Although the feeling of unfulfillment may be very real, it is more a matter of discontentment that needs to be dealt with in prayer than a consequence of the “deficit” of a college education. Another interesting thing to note is that, in general, the women who promote this mindset are actually women who did attend college and have “lives of their own” before they settled down.

One of the reasons behind the thought that a life without college will lead to regret and discontentment later on is that people generally believe a life without regrets is a life that was lived to serve some purpose, and many think that once you’re married and have children, your opportunities to make a difference in the world have disappeared. So many people think that only those in “high places” can be people of influence. Sometimes, however, it is the “hidden people” of the world who create the most change or the most good, oftentimes simply by influencing the leaders, inventors, writers, and artists of tomorrow.

If Nancy Edison hadn’t taken her young son, Thomas, out of school, and encouraged him to explore science on his own, would we have had an electric light as early as the 19th century? Would John Adams have been able to run his presidency as well, or fight as hard to put the Continental Congress in motion, if he hadn’t had Abigail’s undying support? Might we have never heard the beautiful music of composers such as Sergei Prokofiev and Edvard Grieg² if their mothers had not taken the time to teach their sons to play piano and encouraged them in their musical studies?

The Lord desires for us to influence those around us, no matter where He has placed us.

Look for ways to serve.

The opportunities for a young woman who does not attend college are infinite (material for another article perhaps) and I encourage you to seek out ways to minister to those around you while you are still unmarried. As the apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 7:34, “…An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit….” (NIV)

There is no better time to serve than now–these blessed, beautiful years of singledom. And, if we use this time wisely, years down the road we can look back at these days and sigh with a deep sense of gratitude for all the things we learned and accomplished with the hours that were given to us…with no regrets.

———-

Copyright Rebekah McBride, originally published in A Lady in Waiting, Volume 1, Issue 2

¹The author does not necessarily endorse the lifestyles or political or religious views held by the noted individuals. These examples are to show that success, as measured by contributions to society, can be achieved without a college education.

²Composers of “Peter and the Wolf” and “Peer Gynt,” respectively.

Molasses Snow Candy

Combine 1 cup dark molasses and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir frequently over medium heat until the mixture reaches 245F on a candy thermometer (this should take about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and pour onto a panful of snow. Once the candy has hardened, break into pieces and enjoy!

We also hope to add a small selection of products from stay-at-home daughters, as a way to help them promote their businesses. If you have a product you would like us to consider, please send an e-mail to aladyinwaitingmagazine@gmail.com.

Make sure you include

• your contact information
• a detailed description of the product
• your “pitch” on why we should carry your item
• photos, if applicable
• a link to your business website, if applicable
• cost for us
• typical selling price

Joy is not a feeling. You cannot package it, market it, or sell it in pill form.

Joy is a choice that once made will affect you and everyone you come in contact with for the rest of the day.

Joy isn’t always smiling, it isn’t always laughter. Joy is not floating on Cloud 9 or making sure everybody thinks your life is perfect, without bump or struggle.

Joy is just this, the peace and contentment that comes from knowing that God is in control no matter what happens. It believes that His sacrifice paid the price in full and now we can live forgiven.

Joy is choosing to find “the good” (Romans 8:28) in all situations.

Joy is choosing to let God rule even when your world feels out of control.

Joy is just resting, just accepting, and just knowing that God is in all.

No, joy is not a feeling. Joy is a choice!

I’ve never purchased anything from The Body Shop before, but I’ve wandered through their store and oohed and aahed over all their goodies. So far I’ve not tried anything out because they’re rather pricey. But this deal was too good to pass up. I love the Orange Sapphire lotion at Bath & Body Works, so I’m hoping this body butter has a similar scent.

As stated in the ad above, when you make ANY purchase at The Body Shop, from now until December 5, 2010, you’ll receive a FREE full-sized Orange Jolly Body Butter (retail value of $20). It will be automatically added to your cart once you add something else. Anything else. And you’ll receive FREE SHIPPING as well!

To make this deal even better than it already is, sign up for Shop At Home and then go to The Body Shop via the Cyber Monday Weeklong Double Cashback Event page to get 20% cash back! I purchased the Shea Soap to use this winter when my skin gets dry. I paid just $4.20 plus tax, and got the body butter free! All their soaps are $4 each (buy 3 and get 1 free), and they have several sponges and beauty tools for $3-$3.50 each. They also have a sale on their lip butters – get 3 for just $10 (normally $8 each!). If you shop, come on back and let me know what you got!

{That is my referral link to Shop at Home up there. If you don’t want to sign up under me, just visit www.shopathome.com to set-up your account.}