Joy Eggerich is a crazy person. I've been listening to her on the Relevant Podcast for the past few months, and she has made me laugh every week. As goofy and quirky as she is, Joy is also a genuine writer and speaker on the topic of relationships. You may have heard of her parents, Emerson and Sarah Eggerichs, the writers of the classic marriage gift Love and Respect. If you clicked play on the video above, you may already know that Joy has a ministry called Love and Respect Now. She provides discussion and resources regarding relationships for this generation.
I like Joy because she's so normal. She doesn't have tons of degrees or books or notoriety. She may be the daughter of successful relationship counselors, but her wow-factor ends there. And I mean that with much admiration. Joy uses humor and authentic conversation to direct 20- and 30-somethings toward healthy relationships. She especially understands the single young person. Experiencing her own amount of relational mess and frustration, she speaks to this generation about living the single life well.
As an RD at a Christian college, the topic of relationships comes up all the time. All. The. Time. In my dorm, I have a mixture of ages and years. Some are freshman entering into independence for the first time and others are seniors ready to move on to the rest of their lives. Within that range, there are also a variety of relationship questions and discussions. I am thankful for Joy and her ministry with Love and Respect Now as I navigate through these discussions. She looks at every variation of relationships - the single person seeking out a relationship, the dating couple, the engaged ones, the married life, and even the divorced person. And as she discusses these relationships and collects wisdom from other valuable voices, she presents guidance all through the lens of Christ.
I love this video above because she talks about being content with God alone and with yourself, in or outside of a committed relationship. This is a message I needed to hear in college and one I know the girls in my dorm need now. A relationship, marriage, is not the ultimate happiness. Your partner will not be your Savior. And though many of us would say, "Well, of course not! I know Jesus is my Savior, not any guy or girl," I think we catch ourselves believing that person will truly satisfy us.
When I talk with girls and pray for them, I ask God for his best in their life. What will glorify him most and allow each of these girls to live in the fullness of who God made them? If that includes marriage, awesome. I want the women of Tuckey and Bethel College and beyond to see Joy Eggerichs because she offers a relevant, realistic way to navigate relationships. I want them to see other women, too. Women who are married, single, divorced, and everything in between. (I'm not sure what in between would be.) I pray these young women know and trust God in his desire for them - that they don't rush away their present waiting for the future.
And I pray the same for myself. I watch Joy talk about contentment in our Savior, Jesus Christ, and I want that to be true of me. Even though I am married and love my husband to bits, I want to hold him out to God every day. He's yours, not mine. Thanks for letting me be the person he loves most, and I, him.
So, thanks, Joy Eggerichs. Thanks for making me laugh and shake my head at your ridiculous antics. I'm thankful for your honesty and understanding when it comes to this generation. My students, my girls, they look to women like you for guidance. And I'm proud to introduce them to you. Unicorns and all.