The Radical U-Turn: Whitley Morrow

What was the turning point in your life that caused everything to change?

Personally, a few events come to my mind - my salvation, getting married to my wonderful husband, quitting my job to pursue ministry, and starting at SEBTS. I noticed that all these events in my life caused a drastic change and with any change, there is a feeling of uncertainty.

When I was saved, I felt uncertain because I did not fully understand what was going on in my heart. When I got married, there was uncertainty because I wanted to be the wife that honors Christ and my husband, but I did not know what that looked like. When I quit my job to pursue ministry and ultimately end up here at SEBTS, there was a feeling of uncertainty because I did not know what was in store for my future – all I knew is that God had called, and I followed.

Do you see what all these changes have in common? God; His provision, His faithfulness, His love, His mercy, His grace, and His sovereignty.

All these events changed the trajectory of my life, but only one caused a radical U-turn - my salvation.

“The LORD of host has sworn: as I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have it purposed, so shall it stand” (Isaiah 14:24 ESV).

The most radical U-turn I have made in my life is trusting in the Lord Jesus. It was not of myself, but it is His handiwork. This change has led me on a path that I never thought I would be on. I dreamed of working in the veterinary field and I did for about 5 years until I was called into ministry. I was on a completely different path than I am now. To give you guys a timeline – I started working in the veterinary field in 2016, I was saved in 2018, I was called into ministry in 2020, and I started at SEBTS in 2021 pursing a bachelor’s degree in Christian Counseling and a master’s degree in Christian Marital, Family, and Individual Counseling.

Our willingness, as Christians, to follow and trust that God is sovereign over these changes in our lives, whether they are "good" or "bad", is what matters because as we have seen in Isaiah 14:24 – what the LORD has planned and purpose, nothing can thwart that design. He has orchestrated all things for His glory and the good of the people. That should bring us great encouragement in times of change and uncertainty.

It makes me think of the Apostle Paul and his conversion on the road of Damascus in Acts chapter 9. This moment was the halting stop in Paul’s life which was followed by a radical U-turn. We see the salvific moment in Paul’s life, his willingness, and literal blind faith to follow God’s command into Damascus, despite his own personal plans.

Overall, the change we experience when we submit to the Lord and find salvation surpasses any worldly change that we go through. That change in our hearts is what then shifts our perspective on how we deal with all the other deviations that may occur in this life. Why? We are born again, and the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to do so. Paul’s conversion teaches us that coming to Christ is personal and it is possible even in the most unlikely situations. Paul was personally changed. He saw his past different, he lived in the present differently with the understanding that he had been transformed by the work of Christ, and he looked to forward with hope knowing that God is immutable, faithful, and just.

For many throughout the centuries and still today, salvation means a radical U-turn, and Jesus Christ himself is the turning point.

meet whitley!

Whitley Morrow is from Concord, North Carolina but her roots are in the North Carolina Mountains. She is a distance learning student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary pursing a bachelor’s degree in Christian Counseling along with her master’s degree in Christian Marital, Family, and Individual Counseling. She has been married to her husband, Blake, since November of 2020 and they have three pets – Sweet Pea the Staffordshire Terrier, Cash the Corgi, and Finn the cat. The Morrow’s are members at Jackson Park Baptist Church in Kannapolis where they serve the local body and community. Whitley enjoys photography and her favorite place to visit is Charleston, SC.