Words with Wise Women
When we decided to do this interview series, I already knew exactly who I wanted to talk to. Mollie Gambrell was my Sunday school teacher last year, and just a week-and-a-half ago she married her best friend and dear friend of mine, Daniel. I was able to watch them at church and talk to both of them, from dating to engaged to finally husband and wife. Their relationship has been a huge inspiration to me as I wait for my own. Mollie graduated from Kennesaw State in December with a degree in Anthropology. I now take classes at the same school.
After the typical '‘how was the wedding?" questions, we sat down with our Starbucks, and Mollie shared with me her struggles, her experience in college, and her relationship with Daniel.
Me [Samantha]: What was the hardest thing for you to deal with growing up?
Mollie: My personal struggle was definitely self-image. When I was 12, 13, 14 (I’d call those my awkward years) we (me and my sister) were homeschooled and socially awkward (because that’s what happens), and the biggest thing for me was my skin issues. I’d break out everywhere and think ‘no one else is breaking out like this! What’s wrong with me!?’ Little things really bothered me because I was a perfectionist, and I couldn’t fix myself. I compared myself to everyone, because I thought they weren’t having the same problems as me. The hardest thing was accepting myself for who I was. Even though people tell you that God loves you and made you the way you are, you have to accept it too. If you won’t accept that, then there’s no good in people telling you. So that was what I dealt with personally: self-image and comparing myself to every other person. It wore on me.
Another big life question for me was, what is my purpose here? Because of all my travels and seeing how other people lived, especially in South Africa, wondering why I was born here and why I was given all these blessings and privileges that other people weren’t. How can I be the person I’m supposed to be here (in a comfortable world) verus how other people live. It isn’t really answerable, but it was something I always thought about. When you travel, think about your blessings, but don’t run with it and say ‘look at me, I’m so blessed,’ but just be grateful and know that you are where you are for a reason and we can live for God in any situation, whether we have a lot or we have nothing. And I think it’s a lot easier to have nothing! *laughter* There’s a lot less distraction!
Me [Samantha]: As a homeschooler, did you have a culture shock? When?
Mollie: Definitely college, because I grew up homeschooled and then went to Christian high school, and so college was definitely that time. I remember walking into a bathroom and seeing a girl snorting drugs off the counter. You see this kind of thing in movies, but I didn’t realize that people live that way. Also, when I decided to major in anthropology, which is as anti-Christian a major as you can get, and just being immersed in all that evolution-based thinking and culture and how that changes the way people see life and themselves, and study themselves and humans. I came into it thinking that we were special creatures created by God, and here they are saying you came from a monkey! That we’re nothing more than a monkey!
Interviews with 1 Peter 3:3 Women who are Changing the World!
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