As women of faith, we often find ourselves navigating through various seasons of life, each with its unique challenges and blessings. Whether you’re a young professional, a new mother, an empty nester, or entering your golden years, it’s essential to remember that God’s call to service knows no boundaries of age or circumstance.

Remember, Deborah was a judge, Lydia was a successful businesswoman, and Priscilla was a teacher. These biblical women remind us that our service to God isn’t confined to traditional gender roles or age.

It’s incredibly weird and humbling to reflect on my early adulthood and see where the Lord has led. I came to Christ as an older teenager, invited by friends to come to church and never thinking of how following Christ would change the trajectory of my entire life. Here’s the thing though, if you really want to leave the past and embrace Christianity fully, it is an all or nothing approach no matter what season of life you are in. I don’t believe in a ‘waiting season’ as some Christian single writers have approached. What are you waiting for, exactly? 

I have a tattoo on my arm that states ‘vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit.’ In Latin, ‘Bidden or not bidden, God is present’ This is an inscription above the revered Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung’s door as a play on the oracle of Delphi.

 In a letter of November 19, 1960, Jung explains the inscription:

“By the way, you seek the enigmatic oracle Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit in vain in Delphi: it is cut in stone over the door of my house in Kusnacht near Zurich and otherwise found in Erasmus’s collection of Adagia. (Jung had obtained a 1563 edition of  Erasmus’s Collectaneas adagiorum) It is a Delphic oracle though. It says: yes, the god will be on the spot, but in what form and to what purpose? I have put the inscription there to remind my patients and myself: Timor dei initium sapiente [“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”] Here another not less important road begins, not the approach to “Christianity” but to God himself and this seems to be the ultimate question.” (Jung, 1975, 610-611).

Its meaning that God will be on the spot, but in what form and to what purpose? It does not matter to what you are called to each day (Jaffe, 1979; Jung, 1975). You must be open to your life maybe looking strange to you, but God is ever present, and we work for the Lord.

Meanwhile, I was explaining this meaning in Christianity to my atheist tattoo artist and the guy beside me was getting a blue gopher eating a piece of pizza because he liked gophers and pizza…maybe put some thought into what you truly live by…and your tattoo choices.

Where am I in life currently? I’m in my early 30s now, single, and apparently things like ‘a professional’ ‘a leader’ ‘an advocate.’ Big words that make me squirm under a blazer and name tag with a few titles and slew of alphabet soup credentials when underneath I’m comfortable in jeans, a t-shirt, (yes, that full sleeve of tattoos that tell the story of Christ) and listening to 00s punk music way too loud. 

The question I ask every day. ‘Why am I leading again?’ Ironically, that’s the thing, I’m not supposed to be leading, God is supposed to lead, and I’m supposed to listen and do.

Embrace the uncomfortable because sometimes that is where God uses you best.

Scripture for serving in every season:

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Colossians 3:23-24 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Embracing Your Unique Call

So, what if this ends up being your season? What do you do? 

Vocational Ministry

I would say my season right now is a season of vocational ministry and teaching my students and other professionals how to do that, as well. As a speech-language pathologist, I have a very easy-to-see-the-Lord’s-work profession where I get to give dignity and healing to families. However, speech pathology is a very polarized profession right now that is not a big fan of Christianity in general with other professionals often labeling us as bigots. I have the amazing opportunity now, as a professor to teach students in the context of Christianity how we should serve in our profession. Sometimes I might get a little more ‘preachy’ with them in this, but often it is trying to provide them examples of what it should look like, which has been a joy in my work.

This also means, I must put myself in those difficult positions to provide them an example of how to operate and provide influence in a world that is not keen on us, cue leadership.

I’ve been serving and volunteering with various committees and leadership roles in my state and national organizations straight when I started as a SLP until now. My students and other professionals have gotten to see me operate under pressure in those arenas and hopefully with how to handle various situations where being a consistent and devoted, not just cultural Christian as we have in the south, is kind of weird. I also fail, like a lot. I don’t send the right email, I try to build failing budgets, I don’t say the right thing. I think it might be ministry to be open and honest in those situations however stressful because the world is generally not like that.

I had a large group of students go to our state conference this year and Christian students who are treating each other well, stand out in the crowd. It was humorous when they did a singing and dancing routine in the student spirit competition and the judges said, ‘well, you know they are church of Christ because they can stay in harmony!” These funny, small things make a difference. People kept commenting on how my Christian students acted in unity and how we as faculty got along and hung out with them, too. 

At the same time, I was a bit stressed with another school proposing that I build another Christian program as I was running around helping manage the conference, students, etc. Then it hit me, we were the only Christian program in the state and now I am going to build this other Christian program. “Woah, God, so this is the season now? Can we do this?” Sometimes your vocational ministry callings slap you in the face hard and you’ve been doing them the whole time and maybe didn’t even know it. 

Scripture for serving beyond traditional roles:

Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Joel 2:28 – “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”

Romans 12:6-8 – “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

Church Ministry

Just because you are a ‘professional woman’ doesn’t mean that professional work should make up your entire personality. This is something I’ve had to work hard at, making sure that I’m me and can be me in the church; that I serve alongside others and build church relationships, which can be daunting for the single women. I’m back to square one, moving to Nashville and going through the finding-a-church process again, which I absolutely hate. Often when visiting, people do not come up and introduce you to others, tell you where things are, etc. I often get an invitation to young professional groups which is no fun to be labeled a ‘junior adult, updated college group edition’ because churches don’t always know what to do with single people. Big churches love to drop people into demographics instead of intergenerational ministry. Yeah, church hunting is a nightmare in this season. So, what can you do when integrating into a new church?

Find a church where the men and leadership support you in ministry and approach you with opportunity. In the most well ran congregations this is what I’ve noticed: elders do elder things, deacons do deacon things, and the rest is delegated and entrusted to those in the flock that have those talents. This helps leadership reduce burnout, be effective, and unifies the church as the body with all parts working together. 

I’ve been thankful for the church leaderships in my life who have approached me to do things like serve our special needs populations and teach classes; and not just children’s classes which a lot of single women get relegated to, but women’s classes and women’s university classes, and I’ve chaperoned youth events. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy ‘traditional’ women’s roles like being involved in showers and VBS, as well, but you might be part of the diversity of quiet, loud, traditional, and non-traditional roles in your season.

Another tip, build relationships with deacons, elders, and their wives. You can go talk to elders, yes, even as a single woman. I have been to the end of elder’s meetings where they prayed over me before embarking on mission trips or let me ask hard questions. In one instance, I had youth ministers, an involvement minister, and deacon of education approach me about educating them about those with special needs in the congregation. ‘Will you teach us about this?’ Your ministry might even be like this, behind the scenes educating church leaders about things they are not familiar with. Yes, it is uncomfortable but be open to interacting with them, you both learn from this!

Scripture for embracing your unique call:

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

1 Peter 4:10 – “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

As you reflect on your current season and the myriad ways to serve God, remember that your call is unique. Pray for guidance, be open to unexpected opportunities, and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Whether you’re leading from the front or serving behind the scenes, what matters most is your faithfulness to God’s call on your life.

In conclusion, “Her Season, His Service” isn’t about fitting into a predetermined mold but about allowing God to use you exactly where you are, with the gifts He’s given you. Embrace your season, explore new avenues of service, and watch how God works through you to impact His kingdom in powerful ways.

 

References: 

Jaffe, A. (1979) C.G. Jung: Word and Image, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Jung, C.G. (1975) Letters: 1951-1961, ed. G. Adler, A. Jaffe, and R.F.C. Hull, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, (2).

 

About the author: Meagan Spencer lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Lipscomb University and the President of the Tennessee Association of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists. You can usually find her in some coffee shop with a half-forgotten about cappuccino.