Every high school student knows those dreaded words “So, what are you doing after high school?”
*balk*
*gulp*
*scream*
Choosing a career path can be a daunting, scary and in all honesty, (let’s face it) an IMPOSSIBLE thing to do. At age eighteen my chosen career path was “Wife and Mother.” I was raring and ready to go. One teeny-tiny problem: “Wife and Mother” is one of those joint-partnership occupations, it goes hand-in-hand with “Husband and Father” and the “Husband and Father” division of the corporation was conspicuously absent.
So, maybe, I decided I should look at some alternate career options. Something just to pass the time, you know?
I’ll just be honest and come totally clean here. That was me ten years ago, and it’s basically still me. Passing the time…
Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t been completely idle. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been idle at all. I’ve
worshipped while I’m waiting done everything I could think to do while I’m waiting, and I’ve been happy and fulfilled.
But, my future is still out there, Gigantic and Unknown and getting closer and closer. I’m still looking at career options. Of course, my first choice is still my first choice, and if it becomes available I’ll jump in with both feet. Meanwhile I continue to search and pray and be led.
There are a lot of well meaning people that have tried to help.
“You should be a teacher.”
“You should be a writer.”
“You should be a makeup artist.”
“You should be a chef.”
Oh, incidentally, I want to say that I LOVE getting these suggestions, so I’m not saying that people shouldn’t offer up ideas. Please, if you have an idea let me know! It’s fun to think of the possibilities and I have certainly given my share of career opinions to other people.
At age eighteen, one person made a career suggestion to me that I am ashamed to say I rolled my eyes at.
“You should be a Virtuous Woman.”
Come on, really? That’s not a career!
(Almost) Ten years later I look back at my younger self and I have to disagree. Virtuous Woman is the ultimate career.
It’s the job that, if done properly and wholeheartedly will make any other path you walk successful. The Virtuous Woman radiates success, accomplishment, wisdom, education, self-confidence, beauty, happiness, kindness, love. All the things that we all want and need in our lives.
Ten years ago I had two opinions about the Virtuous Woman.
A) That she was abstract and unattainable.
and
B) That she was an overused stereotype. And I didn't want to be a stereotype. I wanted to be DIFFERENT.
Silly me. Of course I'm going to be different. God created only one me. I'm certainly not going to be like anyone else. What I failed to realize was that working to become a Virtuous Woman wouldn't interfere with developing my individuality. Rather, the opposite. Being a Virtuous Woman gives us the tools we need to become the best versions of ourselves. The career path of Virtuous Womanhood is created by God to bring us to our full potentials in Him.
The IDD Blog is going to publishing over the next few weeks an insightful, topic by topic look at the Virtuous Woman. We want to encourage every young lady to make Virtuous Womanhood her goal, and we hope to offer practical advice on how to apply these principles to you own life.
We want to stress that even though The Virtuous Woman is described as a Wife and Mother that we believe that a single female supporting herself has just as much chance of achieving Virtuous Woman status as a married woman. It's never too early or late to start!
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