Published 16 May 2025
The consolation of a beloved prayer
Words from others can speak to our hearts.
A blog post Women Scholars and Professionals
There are seasons of our life that batter us so relentlessly with struggle upon struggle that we are left drained, as limp and wrung-out as a soiled rag. In these moments, it can help to find solace in a prayer that has held crumpled souls for decades. English professor Nicole Schrag concludes her three-part series on the challenges of academic life by describing the comfort and direction she has received from the Serenity Prayer. Nicole chooses not end her series neatly, tying up all the loose ends in a perfect bow, but instead invites us to consider ways that we can share the burdens of these days together. If you’ve been drained from this academic year, reach out for support by leaving a comment or sending an email to our team — we’re committed to praying for you as you seek God’s callings.
“For me, the dialectic of acceptance and action offers a deeply attractive (if ultimately unattainable) picture of a balanced life, and the ending suggests a humility in acknowledging that we may often get things wrong. It’s also given me a framework for trying to shift my focus from the things I cannot control — the things that push me most toward cynicism and emotional distance — to the things that I can.”
The practice of praying what author Emily P. Freeman calls “borrowed prayers” offers an age-old resource that can give voice to the deepest longings of our hearts when we just can’t find the words. We’re reminded of Carmen Acevedo Butcher’s story of a moment in time when a desperate need to clean her desk (so relatable) collided with the words and prayers of an anonymous monk. In our embodiment, God’s Spirit can speak to us through the most mundane urges and experiences — a truth that can help us to remember God’s constant love and abiding presence. May your awareness of our beloved Lord be vibrant for you today an every day.
“On my way around the hill that is the Rome Shorter College campus, under a brilliant sun on a gorgeous seventy-something-degree day in Georgia when everything seemed as green as Hildegard’s notion of viriditas, I realized as I walked past towering oaks why my jumbled desk had bothered me so much. It represented my disordered, upside-down priorities.”
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Final prayer meetings of the academic year happen today! You can join our online, 30-minute guided prayer meetings on Fridays at 8 am, 9 am, and 12 pm (Eastern) through May 16 when we take a break for the summer. Can’t come? Send your prayer requests anyway by emailing us at wsap@intervarsity.org. Ready to pray? Join the Zoom meeting here for those Friday meetings.
Summer Book Club. Mark your calendars and join Women Scholars and Professionals this summer for a discussion of Steven Garber's The Seamless Life: A Tapestry of Love and Learning, Worship and Work. We’ll meet three times over the summer beginning on May 20. Click through for details!
FROM OUR FRIENDS AT INTERVARSITY PRESS
Transform Your Writing: A Workshop (June 23-27, 2025) Do you feel called to write but wish you had more time to focus on it? Would you like to improve your craft or learn to write more effectively? Do you need encouragement or consultation to discern next steps on your writing? If so, the Transform Your Writing workshop might be for you. Space is limited, so apply now!
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OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Ages & Stages: How Women Work & Lead Across Seasons of Life. This spring the DePree Center at Fuller Seminary joins Women, Work, & Calling at The Denver Institute for Faith and Work to host a four-part webinar series explores the challenges and opportunities unique to distinct seasons of life through the experiences of women who have lived and led through them. Click through to learn more.
The Faculty Theological Collaborative (August 4-6, 2025) supports Christian professors at secular universities in faith-informed research and teaching. Cosponsored by Regent College, the Center for Christianity and Scholarship, and the Consortium of Christian Study Centers, this three-day workshop at Duke University provides advanced theological training, living examples of the unity of faith and scholarship, and rich fellowship with Christian faculty across institutions and disciplines. Click through to learn more.
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