Writing and refreshment for my soul awaited me. A weekend getaway with me, myself and I. Dreamy, for any mom.
Maybe the quiet was more than I’m used to but my thoughts kept drifting back to my husband and my kids.
I missed them. {I KNOW, come on Kathleen…}
Being a mom is all-in, all day, everyday, so it’s super healthy for us-moms to have time away. But it’s a luxury we rarely get.
Being by myself was a little reminiscent of living in a foreign country, not knowing how to speak the language of alone. Eating alone, sleeping alone, going to the bathroom alone. (ha!) There were no interruptions or places I had to drive my kids to. There were no little people pulling at me, demanding my attention.
Of course, there is life beyond and in addition to motherhood. We all know that our children will grow up one day and have their own separate lives. The throes of motherhood won’t last forever. I see glimpses of that even now.
But for now, what if being a Mom is enough?
In my present season, when laundry is constantly cycling, lost socks are my prime nemesis, and my dishwasher runs twice a day.
What if, you and I, took the pressure off ourselves to change the world?
Maybe we would believe what we already know to be true.
That world’s Savior is not you and me.
That God is God and we are not.
Author and pastor, Matt Chandler, put’s it this way,
“I would never worship a God, ever-changing and never certain. He’s not God; he’s ME, and I make a crummy god.”
You and I make crummy gods. To change the world, all we can do is point people to the one true God.
What if I’m doing that ~ just by being a mom?
What if I’m teaching my children about the ministry of presence ~ just by being present with them day in and day out?
What if I’m teaching my children about God’s abundant grace ~ just by asking for forgiveness when I fail them?
What if my living room is where my living testimony lives?
What if my living room is where my living testimony lives? Click To Tweet
When we get dressed up and put on makeup to go outside our homes – to church, to the grocery store, to work – we only show half of who are. And let’s face it, it’s usually our good half.
But, at home, when we wake up with bed hair and we have to start our day by cleaning up poop that’s smeared all over the bathroom floor or we have to put out numerous sibling fights over breakfast, our character is tested.
Whether we realize it or not, what we really believe about God bubbles to the surface.
Is He loving?
Is He joyful?
Is He peaceful?
Is He patient?
Is He kind?
Is He good?
Is He faithful?
Is He gentle?
Is He self-controlled?
{Galatians 5:22}
What if my children are my greatest ministry?
We may say the words, but we struggle to believe it’s enough.
Over the weekend, I had a conversation with my daughter on FaceTime. Heartfelt disappointment hung heavy in the air; she tried out for a part in a play and didn’t get it. With tears streaming down her face, I could feel her sadness through the phone.
My heart went out to her, I simply listened and let her cry. Sharing the words that somehow soothe my own soul, I told her, “Everything’s going to be okay.”
I shared with her the truth – that I was actually more proud of her for trying out and not getting the part than if she’d gotten it.
If she had gotten the part it would have been easy. Her character wouldn’t have been tested. Difficulty and dealing with disappointment is what builds character. This has proved to be true in my own life.
Even though I wanted to take away her sadness, I couldn’t have been more proud of my daughter in that moment.
When our character is tested and we are forced to deal with what bubbles to the surface in our own hearts – we wrestle with the truth, with what we really believe about God and about ourselves.
The pressure we put on ourselves to perform, produce and succeed is so great. And it starts at such a young age. What if we took the pressure off ourselves to change the world and focused on allowing God to change us?
What if we focused on the small? What if we realized our greatest ministry is staring right back us. . .
Great article Kathleen, I have recently seen articles on this same subject and am so sorry that people are feeling such pressure to change the world. From the time I was a child I felt the urge to go to the mission field but after marrying and having 2 children that I desperately wanted and have always loved and cherished I was not sure that the day would ever come for me to serve on a mission field. When my children were in college I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to a third world country. I was 45 years old , that was 18 years ago. Today we have a project for malnourished children that has been going on for 11 years and God has given us the opportunity to minister to so many in all these years but my point is, God has His own timing for each of our lives and not all have the same calling. You hit the nail on the head with the fruits of the spirit and if He has another ministry for you it will be in His own time. For I believe Romans 12:1 -2 …………and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith………
Rinda, Thank you for sharing your story. I, too, have a love for the mission field, so my heart swells with hope hearing your story. You’re right, it is all in God’s timing and I’m learning to to trust Him in the-now, which will hopefully help me trust Him for what’s to come… ~Kathleen