Article June 22, 2009 Issue

BUILT TO BLOSSOM

BY SUSAN KORTHALS

I grew up in a military household where my father's achievements were easily measured by his rank. So the idea of having clearly defined order, purpose, and goals felt natural to me.

But as I got older, and especially after I left a job I loved to care for our first child, Ashley, my own life's purpose didn't feel so easily defined. As I juggled round-the-clock feedings and mounds of laundry, and dealt with exhaustion, I missed the defined responsibilities, structure, and accountability other jobs required. I was happy and grateful to be at home with our daughter, but I felt unmoored.

One afternoon I cried out to God, "I miss my friends, my job, and my paycheck! How can I love my husband and daughter so much and feel so out of place?" Then I thought of this Bible verse: "He hath showed thee ... what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8).