Women’s Devotion: Doing Life With Others
Doing Life With Others
I’m in a podcast club. It’s a book club, but with less homework. I always wanted to be in a book club. I tried a couple out while in my 20s. I loved it, but I never finished the book in time. So I was cramming with Cliff’s Notes to get the central meaning for discussion (and also to make myself sound smarter when I posed that I had discovered a hidden meaning behind the color of sweater the character wore in chapter 10). Anyway, the club is composed of about eight women, all of whom have children around the 7-9th grade age range. A couple have older ones, some have younger ones. Some of us work for a large company, some for ourselves. Some of us have a Bachelor’s degree or PhD or Master’s, some don’t. Some of us are Republicans, some are Democrats. Some are Enneagram 1 or 2 or 3 or 9 (we discussed a 2-part Enneagram podcast last month that uncapped a bit of raw self-discovery).
Many things differentiate us, but one thing unites us. We are all curious. We are curious about the world, about the science, the psychology, the faith and the beliefs of what is around us. And we are curious about each other and helping each other grow. See, the one rule about podcast club is…we have to bring something new to the table for others. So far all of the podcasts were new to me. We even watched a documentary about therapy. And it has been enlightening. And it has led me to try to explore other new ideas.
So the other day, I was listening to the four ways to practice and enhance your grit. Grit is the stamina and endurance to really dig in when things get hard. According to the author interviewed, the final way to enhance grit in yourself is simple: enlist other people to engage in your curiosity. We learn better and more deeply with someone else. We can dig in better when we have someone else by our side. God gave us wonderful humans to walk with us through life. We can boost each other up and we can help each other learn to be more ourselves. When you really look back at your life, those times when you made it through hard, grueling moments, you did it with other people by your side. When you were in school and you found a subject really demanding, you likely went to a classmate or a teacher or a parent to help you learn through it.
That is what the podcast club is doing for each other. We are providing each other the tools to really dig in and combat what life is throwing at us. And life is throwing a lot at us all right now. So do it together. It’s right there in Genesis 2: “And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” We were given to each other to work together to be partners, build camaraderie, be in fellowship and be an “impactful army” in the world. So be together and you can battle the things that life throws at you.
Are you needing some friends along the way? Women’s Ministry at Sheridan is a great way to build your corps. Through fellowship events, service, bible studies, retreats and a book club. Yes, you will have more homework than a 30-minute podcast, but you will be armed with knowledge and a support system. Let us know if you have an idea to get involved.
This month’s devotion is written by Melissa Abele. Melissa has been a member of the Women’s Ministry Team since it began. She and Jeff have been married for almost 24 years and have 2 daughters: Madalynn (20) is a sophomore at the University of Kansas and Lily (14) is an 8th grader at Lux. Jeff & Melissa own their own business, Grandstand Apps, a mobile app development company. In her free time, Melissa loves to read, play tennis, travel, and spend time with family. The Sheridan community has been a true blessing and second home to the family since they joined more than 18 years ago.