A Higher Calling: Dr. Betsy Love Gives God Priority in her Medical Career–June 2018
June 12, 2018
(Dr. Love is an active member of Altoona Regular Baptist Church where she plays the cello and teaches Sunday School classes and Bible studies).
Like many professionals in the field of medicine, the early days of Dr. Betsy Love’s (’02) medical career were constantly filled with the rigors of academic study, lack of sleep, and challenging working conditions. Because of the daily grind and never-ending demands, she found it challenging to give Christ the priority in her life.
While spiritual things have always been important to her, she eventually came to a place in her life when she realized Christ had to become her primary focus. Despite all of the hours she had already logged in her pursuit of a medical degree from the University of Iowa, Dr. Love made the decision to pursue a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Faith Baptist Theological Seminary.
“I chose Faith because of the reputation it had for adhering to Biblical teaching and because of my previous interactions with Dr. Myron Houghton at church,” said Love. “I continued to take classes to complete my master’s degree in Biblical studies after I left the practice of neurology to stay at home when God blessed us with two boys.”
Dr. Love met her husband Charles, a dermatologist, while in medical school at the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine. They were married in 1988 and have two sons, Charles and David. Charles attended Faith Baptist Bible College for one year of foundational study of the Bible and is now enrolled at Iowa State University where he is a senior studying microbiology. David is studying at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary, pursuing his calling to become a pastor.
As Dr. Love’s children approached their college years, she began to pray about how God could use her once her days of homeschool teaching were finished. With her medical background, she felt God calling her into the area of Biblical counseling.
“As a neurologist, I was very familiar with people with depression and anxiety associated with medical conditions,” said Dr. Love. “Part of my training in neurology included working with people in the psychiatric units. In addition, I had always enjoyed teaching women at church and at Alpha Women’s Center about how the Bible is sufficient to address all of life’s problems.”
With her instruction in Biblical Counseling from Faith and also the Christian Counseling Educational Foundation and the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, Dr. Love felt God had used all of these experiences to fully equip her.
Feeling called to a counseling ministry, Dr. Love opened Women’s Counseling in Ankeny, Iowa in December 2016. Women’s Counseling is a donation-only ministry for women 16 years and older. Most women come by referral from a pastor or friend.
Dr. Love says one of the most exciting things about a counseling ministry is to do Bible studies with women. She explains to her clients, up front, that she uses Biblical solutions as the primary method of addressing life problems.
“I enjoy working one-on-one with women, reminding them of the character and the promises of God,” said Dr. Love. “Most women are professing Christians when they come for counsel. However, I have been able to do evangelistic Bible studies with five individuals and one accepted Christ as her personal Savior.”
Dr. Love offers appointment hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. If you or someone you know needs counseling, you can reach her at 515-707-2222.