September 2022 Butter Babe: Katie Collins
Katie Collins is a treasure to all who know her! She is the epitome of a loyal friend and has such a deep servants heart that it shows everywhere she goes! I first met Katie many years ago when she came back to Mobile after serving as a missionary overseas for several years. I hope you are inspired by her answers to these questions and are encouraged to live as fully and deeply as Katie does every day!
What have I had to unlearn? One thing I have unlearned is making plans for my own life. I traded the ones I had made, which were pretty good, for plans God had for me to prosper me and not to harm me but to give me a future and a hope. He has truly given me a better life that I ever imagined for myself. I get to know Him more every day thru the loving people He surrounds me with and the opportunities He brings to do harder things than I would have taken on. My plans were short sighted compared to His. They were predictable and didn’t leave room for unknowns. Now, in contrast, my husband and I live life making plans beyond what we can see and predict so that we do things that require His presence if they’re going to be accomplished. We want people to see through us that they can trust God beyond where they do now. Afterall, God’s word teaches that it is impossible even to please Him without faith. We can truly say He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
What does being a Butter Babe mean to you? Being a Butter Babe, to me, means being among women who connect because we value Godly relationships. Today, it may be vogue to be known a strong woman, yet I have learned that being strong in the Lord is far greater than just being a strong woman. My strength will fail me. My strength will prove seasonal and temporary. But, God’s strength always affords me help in my weakness and is never lacking when I need to stand up. I’m thankful for this group of housewives, professionals, wives, moms, business owners, and more who represent life-giving community and purpose.
What have you done that you are most proud of? As a single woman working full-time, I took my grandmother in to live with me when she was 94 years old. She had tried assisted living centers, but crowds were not her style and dementia was knocking on her door. It didn’t matter that my single lifestyle might be hindered. It didn’t matter that priorities would change and responsibilities would increase. It only mattered that she needed care from someone who loved her. She had been my sweetest friend my whole life, one who knew me, talked with me, liked to be with me, and had compassion for me. Now she needed some back. Her home had always been a safe and loving place of provision. Time there was spent together making family moments not isolated in separate rooms or doing our own things. So, making room for her in my home just gave us plenty of opportunity for more of that! She’d hop in my SUV and ride anywhere I went right up to the day before God took her home at the age of 99.5. The five and a half years she spent in our home were certainly a gift.
What would you like to be remembered for? I would like to be remembered as someone who loved people and made time for them, someone who was generous, and someone who lived giving glory to Jesus Christ for saving her, setting her free from sin, and leading her to help others be saved as well. Acts 4:8-12
What book has impacted you? The Bible transforms my life every time I read it. Nothing has meant more to me in life than knowing God as my Father, and I get to know Him better by reading His Word. I needed Him so much, and He has never let me down. As I hold on to God’s promises in tough or trying situations, He enables me to take courage and follow Him to do what is worthwhile.