Can you share with us a little about your faith journey?

I was born into a Christian home and felt a call to Christian work in 1989 and went to the Evangelical Bible Seminary of South Africa in the early 1990s, at the time of the political transition in South Africa. It was an exhilarating time of learning ecumenically, as we engaged in how our society was rapidly changing. We were living together and experiencing each other racially and culturally for the very first time and considering what the new South Africa could look like. This experience was life-changing and has provided me with a vision of what is possible in theological education, that we all can be humanly united under the Cross. After my undergraduate studies, I worked in the local church ministry and overseas for a few years in community development on the border of India and Nepal, and in various theological training institutions in India. The Indian experience, on later reflection, was about God creating this amazing work opportunity to affirm my identity in my Indian heritage which had been wounded by the apartheid system.

How were you led into academia? 

I never imagined working as an academic coming from a working-class family, however, to teach in India my agency required a master’s degree. I returned to South Africa to complete my postgraduate studies and “fell into” academia when my supervisor Prof. Arthur Song offered me a research assistant job at the University of Zululand. This developed into a teaching post from 2001 to 2006 in the Department of Practical Theology and Religious Studies. I was also responsible for the new field of quality assurance and worked closely with eight theological colleges linked to the faculty. However, in the process of higher education restructuring this Faculty of Theology was closed. Thereafter I was appointed as senior lecturer at the University of South Africa in 2006 and was promoted to full Professor in 2016, where I continue as a research Professor. Over the years, I have taught Qualitative Research, Faith Development and Religious/Christian Education courses that have supported my postgraduate supervision and my overall research focus of theological education.

What challenges did you encounter as a woman academic? 

Being an academic and researcher can be challenging not only because historically women have been undervalued. We also feel the squeeze from increasing pressure to publish, while also managing a scarcity of funding, heavy student workload and unsustainable expectations for administrative and community engagement. The work of academia truly never ends. Importantly family life and relationships are sometimes set aside to complete that book project or to prepare for that speaking engagement and burnout is just around the corner.

I know that you are passionate about self-care. Can you share with us what self-care is?

I have become very intentional about self-care and without gratitude for where one is, appreciating and reflecting on the wonder of life, relationships, and work I can become a hollow vessel in Christian service. For many, the recent Covid pandemic was a shocking reminder to re-evaluate and take stock. It cemented for many people the focus on well-being and being alert to the other pandemic of stress and anxiety.

For me, self-care begins with an awareness that it is not a luxury but a core towards authenticity and a meaningful existence. It is about taking the time to do things that help me live well, and that improve my spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental health. It can be something that calming or relaxing something physical or something that I need to get done. Self-care is also not self-absorption but requires checking in with myself on how I am doing in all areas of life. Spiritually it is a time to reflect on my life goal and purpose and the leading of the Lord, most times by using an Examen prayer to reflect at the end of the day. I am fortunate that I am a trained spiritual director and aware of the importance of inner coherence. I also have a spiritual director who is my very critical companion for the journey, who challenges me and helps me find perspective. I find meditation calms the overthinking brain and I have always kept a journal to remember the journey, as a witness to God’s faithfulness.  

Why is it important? Can it be considered as a spiritual discipline?

How are we to practice it?

As women juggling professional and domestic life, there is never enough time for self-care, everything else seems more important. But self-care helps us cope with life’s daily stress, even the stress of technology which brings a flooded inbox each day! People feel lonelier and less able to unwind and slow down, making them feel more anxious and overwhelmed by even the simplest tasks. Caring for our bodies and minds is an act of worship and submission to God. Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:6-8 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Even Christ took time to get away from the crowds to either rest, to spend time with the Father or to be still.

Engaging in a self-care routine has been shown to reduce or eliminate depression, reduce stress, and increase joy. It also helps to adapt to changes, build strong relationships and helps to recover from setbacks. It is important to take care of ourselves, even while taking care of everyone else. It is OK to go off and refresh ourselves, recharge our energy, pray, and take strength from the Lord.

What advice will you give for women in academia and who are thinking of it as a career? (Especially given them getting overworked; the pressure to prove themselves; etc) 

Academia can be very rewarding, an opportunity to learn constantly, to research what you are passionate about and to make a difference with that knowledge. It can also be a lonely place which is competitive, with the constant rat-race of research and publications, needing to constantly prove oneself and working within office politics and institutional cultures. I think it important to keep the bigger picture in mind, that like any other career, you have to be grounded in a vision for your life and focus on what really matters. Maintain your faith and values and keep realistic expectations, you cannot achieve everything at once. Even in toxic environments, keep your head about things, find the positive in the situation and have gratefulness as a core value. Mentors and a support system are important for the long run and the awareness to maintain as much as possible a healthy work-life balance. This can be elusive for many but accepting the different stages of life and knowing that at some stages some things are more possible than other times, yet accepting the present moment and employing strategies to assist in finding balance can take the pressure off. This involves setting boundaries and making time for self-care so that you have something to give.

How can we pray for you? 

I am astounded by how the Lord has led me to this place in my career and I am eternally grateful that the Lord looked kindly on me. I have accumulated a wealth of knowledge and skills and I am wondering about what else I could be and do to move beyond knowledge to wisdom for myself and others. I want to understand what is most important about being human, certainly moving beyond survival to thriving with God and want that adventure with God that I initially signed up for. I pray for a change that in essence involves the work of wellness. Please pray with me that more clarity may come and that the right opportunity may present itself.