Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But since I graduated college I have yet to use my Business degree and over the past year have really begun to wonder why I even went to college. I know I didn't spend all that money to be stuck working a job geared towards high schoolers!

Perhaps you're feeling the same way. You worked hard in college to earn the degree you thought would secure you a career only to find yourself working in a dead-end, minimum wage job that barely, if at all, pays the bills.

But guess what? God is still there with you as you make your way through this valley. He knows your concerns, your frustrations, and your confusion. And He wants to help! You just have to completely surrender everything to Him. Every single doubt, insecurity, and fear. And while things may continue to get difficult, it will be easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you let Him take over.

I graduated from a private Christian college in 2007 with my B.S in Business Administration. I was so excited to be out in the real world. It was finally my time to shine, to make a name for myself, to prove to my friends and family that I could make my own life.

I remained in Nashville after graduating, moving in with friends. Even though I was working at Office Depot, I knew that I would eventually find my dream job. It just took time. I told myself that I just needed to be patient. As long as I kept putting my resume in at several places, eventually God would open up a door to a great career opportunity.

My dream job was out there. I just knew it. However, patience has never been one of my strong suits (and I doubt it ever will be), so after only a couple months I was getting frustrated.

I chose to stay in Nashville because I thought that was where God wanted me. But when one problem after another continued to plague me the entire year and a half that I was there, I knew something needed to change. Roommate troubles. Health problems. Inability to find a good job. One after another, these problems just would not ease up.

Where was my career? Where was that great job I was supposed to have?

I decided to take a trip home to Virginia to figure out what it was God wanted me to do. And would you believe it? It was Homecoming at our church. Homecoming. Immediately I knew God was trying to tell me something. It was as if He was saying, "Daughter, you were supposed to be here all along. You need to come home."

So when I returned to Nashville, I knew I was doing the right thing to leave. A few weeks later, I packed as much as I could into my little red Honda and drove the 700+ miles home to Norfolk, VA.

Of course, I wasn't foolish enough to believe that my problems would go away once I had changed locations. Of course not. They were still there. I had my moments where I would cry myself to sleep because I missed Nashville. I was so ashamed to tell people that I had to move back in with my mother. I was a 25-year-old college graduate. I was supposed to be on my own, working for a major company, enjoying what life after college had to offer me.

For a couple months, I was angry. All my friends were married, some expecting their first child. And me? I was single, living with my mother working a meaningless, minimum-wage job.

I felt like I had all the reason in the world to be angry. Why in the world was God allowing this? How was this a part of His great plan for me? I had to cut back on so many things that I sometimes felt ashamed. I couldn't go out with friends that often. I felt isolated, confused, hurt. Where was God through all of this?

Then something wonderful happened. One night in June, I surrendered to God. I broke down, gave Him all of me. I just couldn't take it anymore. I was tired of trying to make a name for myself without consulting God first. Without Him, I was going to continue to feel this way, hopeless and ready to give up completely.

I began to read Jeremiah 29:11 in a different light. God does have a plan for me, but I have to let Him work in my life.
Sure, I'm still confused as to why I'm still stuck in this frustrating, migraine-causing job, but if this is a part of God's plan for my life, then by all means, let me go to work!

It's not going to be easy and I'm okay with that now. Now that my attitude towards life has changed, I can finally let God use me the way He's been trying to all along!

Leigh Stone is from Norfolk, VA.

Women's and Gender Studies, which became widely recognized as an academic genre during the political turmoil of the 1970s, no longer constitutes a small and insignificant subculture. At the end of June 2007, the National Women's Studies Association will hold its 28^th annual conference with more than 1,000 expected to participate. According to the Artemis Guide to Women's Studies, more than 400 women's studies programs are offered in the United States alone with more than 700 similar programs worldwide.

After examining these statistics, it is doubtful that women's studies programs are going to decline in popularity in the future. How, then, does a Christian handle this part of academia? What are young women (and men) being taught in these courses that might challenge their faith? Should parents simply encourage their children to avoid these "liberal" classes altogether? Certainly not. If I learned anything during my time as a women's studies minor, it is this: When approached the right way, women's studies courses can actually be benefit the collegiate Christian in at least three ways:

Welcome to Reality    

First, some of the information taught in these programs is very useful, and it is information about which most Christians know little. For example, I learned a tremendous amount about eating disorders. I discovered the true prevalence and impact of domestic violence. Because of Islam's subjugation of women and girls, I learned more about the religion than I ever would have learned in church. And more important, during these classes I witnessed the passion of activists who genuinely want to save women all over the world from female circumcision, honor killings, etc.

Women's studies taught me that if the Third Wave Foundation, a philanthropic foundation led by renowned feminist Rebecca Walker, can contribute more than $750,000 to "support young women's health, education, and activism," surely I can give monthly to help missionaries reach women and their families with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.

The Other Side of the Coin

Secondly, as a Christian, I believe abortion is the murder of an unborn child and therefore a sin. Yet how can I effectively argue the pro-life debate without fully understanding the pro-choice movement? My women's studies courses taught the pro-choice argument that all women should have total control over their bodies and, in turn, their unborn children. They support women who choose to keep their children, place their children up for adoption, or have an abortion.

In other words, the true pro-choice agenda is exactly that: pro-choice, not pro-abortion. Even the most liberal of those who believe in pro-choice rarely believe abortion should be used as a form of birth control. Through these courses, I learned how to explain logically to a woman why she should not have the choice to terminate a pregnancy (because her unborn child is a human being) rather than simply saying "Abortion is against my religion." After all, if a woman doesn't believe God exists, why avoid an abortion simply because it is a sin?

I also learned about valuable resources for women who experience unplanned pregnancies, such as Feminists for Life, a feminist organization that vehemently opposes abortion.

Crisis of Faith

Finally, women's studies programs across the United States will teach young Christians how to stand up for their faith. For example, a hallmark of the feminist movement is equality for everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Because of this, I met many people during my schooling who were gay or lesbian and even attended a lecture presented by a male-to-female transsexual who used to be a minister!

I must admit that the first time I worked closely with a gay man, I was uncomfortable. As time progressed, however, we developed a friendship, and I was able to share my faith with him. I was able to undo the aversion he felt toward Christians because of the way he had been treated in the past.

It was only through this relationship that resulted from my studies that I began to realize Christ loves everyone and wants to save everyone, regardless of their sins. For the first time, I truly understand how to hate the sin but love the sinner. I still believe homosexuality is a sin, but I know Christ wants to save people from this lifestyle rather than condemn them because of it.

Today's young Christians are constantly faced with challenges to their faith, yet parents believe they will have the strength of character to turn away from bad influences. In church and Sunday School, teens are encouraged to read the Bible for themselves rather than "simply accepting" what they are told. Parents and teachers both feel their children's faith will become their own though doing so

Why, then, can't collegiate Christians participate in "liberal" classes and come out stronger? Are young women and men so insecure in their faith that they will go astray as soon as a professor tells them their beliefs are wrong? I don't think so. If thousands of Christians have become doctors without embracing evolution, there is no reason why thousands of Christians cannot advocates for women while still embracing our Lord.

About the Writer: Joy Beth Curtis graduated from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She is currently pursuing a Phy.D. in Clinical Psychology and an M.A. in Theology.  She and her husband Scotty attend Tanner Trails Community Church in Aurora, IL.

David and I will be discussing this on this week's podcast.

We look forward to reading what you think!

1. You Will Change

No matter how much you loved or hated high school, college is a completely different ballpark. You learn more, you learn to think differently, and you begin to interact with people differently based on how your perceptions are changing. It may happen so gradually you won't even notice the changes until you graduate, but you will change. For better or worse, no one leaves the college experience unmarked. Just be vigilant to ensure the changes you're going through are the changes you want.

2. The People at Home Will Not Change

When you go home, it will be apparent how much you've changed and how much everyone else hasn't. Your parents will still want to treat you the same way they did when you were still living at home. When you go to church, they'll still treat you as though you're incapable of crossing the street without someone holding your hand. The people you knew in high school won't really care or understand about your experiences in college, and you won't be able to relate to their new job at the convenience store and their new baby at home. It will be easy to feel superior, but your path isn't necessarily better. Sometimes the high school sweethearts who marry at 19 and take over the family auto business do better and are happier than the college graduate.

3. Go to College to Learn to Think

Don't just go to college to learn. You can do that at your local library. It's probably what you were avoiding to do all through high school. The information you take away from college isn't nearly as important as the thought processes you learn. You must learn to think critically, even though not all your professors really want you to. Recognize when a single professor presents a single textbook as the single authoritative view and learn to dig deeper. Learn to explore all the possibilities. That's really what writing all those tedious papers is all about—assimilating knowledge and digesting it rather than simply parroting what other people say on a short test.

4. It's All About Relationships

As far as relating to your peers is concerned, college is like a giant orphanage. Depending on your college, dozens or thousands of people of a similar age are tossed together in close quarters with no parents and very few overseeing "adults." You'll live together, eat together, learn together, and play together. As a result, the relationships that are formed are much more intense than you've formed before, much more similar to siblings than friends. You'll probably either love or hate your roommates and suitemates. While you may vary between the two extremes, you probably won't be "lukewarm" very often. Things may be slightly less intense between you and your classmates, but if you're in a small school, you'll see the same classmates quite often as you choose a major and move into upper-level courses. You'll very likely even relate to your professors differently than you've ever related to your teachers.

5. Take It for What It Is

Enjoy the experience. While you may not feel it's the best time in your life while you're there, looking back, you'll realize how important this time in your life is. Take in everything you can and enjoy college for what it is rather than looking ahead, because the truth is, a college degree isn't necessarily an instant passport to success. If your sole reason for going to college is to make tons of money when you graduate, you'll probably be disappointed and you certainly won't enjoy this time in your life. But you will better yourself, regardless of whether it pays off in money. So relax and enjoy the ride.

And, really, don't buy your textbooks from the campus bookstore.

Tanya Carden is a freelance writer and editor. She lives in South Carolina with her husband Steve.

Remember Solomon? Now there was a smart guy! At the beginning of Solomon's reign God gave the new king the chance to request whatever he wanted. God would have given Solomon anything! He requested only wisdom in governing his people (1 Kings 3:8-9). God was so pleased He made Solomon the smartest, wisest man in the world (1 Kings 4:32-34). During his reign, people came from all over the world to hear him expound his wisdom and knowledge.  Yes, Solomon was a very busy, very involved scholar.

There is debate as to whether or not Solomon is the author (or an author) of Ecclesiastes. It is certain the writer of Ecclesiastes had a Solomon-like passion for study, knowledge, and wisdom. We can know, then, that this person knew what he was talking about when he said in Ecclesiastes 12:12 much study wearies the body.  (Some versions say "flesh.") He (or they) wanted us to know study is a mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual thing.

To understand what is meant in this verse, we need to look at it in the whole context of the book. Whoever wrote Ecclesiastes lived a privileged, scholarly life. During his life he sought to find meaning in all sorts of places: sex, work, politics, friends—and academics. He came to the conclusion that it is all meaningless. Humans think humans are wise. We think human knowledge and understanding is enough. It isn't. We trust too much on ourselves on figuring out everything.

Yes, of making many books there is no end and much study wearies the body—boy, does it ever weary the body. But is it meaningless? Is there a point to my tiring myself out like this?

Wait, Ecclesiastes wasn't finished after that verse. In the final two verses the writer of Ecclesiastes came to a conclusion: The only true meaning in life is to worship God and obey Him. Why? Because He is the creator of all knowledge, because He will come to judge every ignorant person and every scholar alike, because He will one day expose all good and evil to the light. Yes, it is pointless to exhaust your mind and body in pursuit of anything if that object is an end in itself. That is meaningless. It is meaningless if God is not in it.

Much study can get really tiresome. Sometimes you may grow disillusioned with it. Rest your heart and mind in God. Learn through God. Let Him be your meaning.  He is where true wisdom is found.

Ben Plunkett is a writer from Pleasant View, Tennessee.