My Ministry

"'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." Acts 2:17

The other day, when I posted about battling laziness, a great discussion happened in the comments, and I woke this morning feeling like I needed to bring it out onto the blog. We were talking about remembering where our missionfield is, and where, as homemakers, our ministry is. It can be so easy for myself to get caught up in the idea that I need to have a ministry somewhere. Whether it be serving in some capacity at church, or thinking that God may have bigger plans to be his servant in the world. We talk a lot at church about preparing to go into the ministry, and we're constantly in a state of learning, learning the tools that God has for us to serve. Except that a lot of times, I leave those type of services almost sad, because I don't receive the revelation that so many do. Then I come home, and spend time with God or spend time with my kids, and I can almost hear God laughing at me and saying "this is your ministry." And then it's like, well, of course it is, I knew that.

My minstry right now is my children. Oh, sure, I'm part of the worship team at church, so yes, I am serving in an area of ministry. But that big bad ministry, that "thing" for which we're all preparing for is right under the roof of my own home, in the two little beings that have been placed in my care. At first thought, that may not seem like much, because caring for my children isn't particularly difficult, in fact, most days it's just a pure joy to me. Yet, every once in a while, something comes out with one of my kids that makes me realize just how big of a deal it really is to raise these kids in the way that God wants them to be raised.

I started off with the verse I did today, because the other day, my son had a dream. I won't share the dream, because to be honest, it won't make any sense to my readers. However, it was clearly a dream for him that came from God. First, because he felt he needed to tell me about it, and that's something he just doesn't do. And secondly, because it was amazing how well his dream tied right into something our Pastor said in his sermon last Sunday- something that Zander did not hear because he was in kids church. At first, when he told me his dream I smiled at him and hugged him and sent him off to play, because it wasn't until later, as I was thinking about him that it occurred to me what his dream really was. I really just dwelled on it for awhile, and shared it with Andy later as well, because the heart and soul of his dream told me clearly that God has plans for this young man. Big plans, and I almost feel overwhelmed to be charged with his upbringing. Am I going to raise him in the way God wants him raised? And then I think about Abigail, and I hope so much that we haven't messed up with her already...

Anyway, the entire point here is to encourage all those parents who are stay-at-home parents. Do not give in to that despair that you don't feel like you're being given a shot at ministry. You have a very, very important one right now. You are charged with raising a generation that is going to do wonderful things for God. That is your ministry, and the season you are in right now. There may come a time for this season to draw to a close, and then you will begin a new one, maybe with another ministry elsewhere, maybe in a big way. But in the here, and in the now, your ministry is sound asleep in the other room, or playing quietly, or riding on a school bus. Thank God for this wonderful ministry that we have been given, may He give us the tools we need to be successful, and may our hearts stay focused on Him and His desires for our littlle ones.