What bothers you about the world?

It's 2 am, and baby Lily is up again, screaming. I'm irritated as heck as I snuggle her back to sleep, scrolling through Facebook to stay awake. I see pictures of my friends out this Friday night, having the time of their lives. They're drinking expensive cocktails in big cities, posing for pictures in cute outfits. And here I am, at 24 years old, taking care of me and my husband's honeymoon baby.

What bothers me most about our world is that we are told that our lives are about ourselves. We're told marriage is for people in their mid-30s who are ready to "settle down." We're told babies drag people (especially women) down. We're told family life will be the end of our happiness.

Let me tell you a secret: I don't always love or even like my day to day. When I'm changing my third diaper in an hour, I struggle to *feel* happy. But deeper, beyond what momentary pleasure, success, or comfort I feel I’m lacking, there is overwhelming Christian joy.

The world needs to see young people striving for sainthood in countercultural, bold ways. Jesus has asked me to lay down my life for my family at 2 a.m. home on a Friday night, and that is infinitely more incredible and more fulfilling than anything else I could be doing.

Aly Englander

KU Alumnae, Class of 2018