The Mommy Ministry

What does it take to be in a ministry?

When I taught at a private school as an elementary school teacher I knew ahead of time that teaching was going to be my ministry.  I was getting paid peanuts compared to most school teachers even though I worked the same hours as public school teachers.  But that was ok. I wanted to do it.  I enjoyed every minute of it...even parent teacher conferences, and back to school nights and field trips...ok maybe not field trips (s-t-r-e-s-s-f-u-l).

But I loved my job. It was my calling.  I went to work early and came home late (life before kids).  I even did aftercare programs, and book clubs because I really wanted to get to know the kids better, be involved, and grow as a teacher, plus the extra money was nice.  I wanted to teach.  I loved my students.  I was ALL in.  I told John all the time I would teach for free.

Then I became a mom.

And I had NO IDEA how much this "motherhood" job was my ministry.  I mean I didn't expect to get paid, but a break every now and then would be nice.  You don't get sick days.  No one says thank you...I mean they can't even say thank you yet.  You just do all of this "stuff" because you want to touch their heart for eternity.  You cook for them, clean up after them, drive them to the doctors, bathe them, stay up all night when they are sick, teach them the alphabet, right from wrong, how to add, subtract, tell time, count money, save their allowance, how to share, and how to be kind.


Maybe I was naive but I didn't realize that a ministry would be this hard, or this tiring or even super frustrating.  Sometimes you think it's always going to be awesome, that there won't ever be bumps in the road.  You really think it's always going to be happy go lucky and finding a rainbow in every meadow, and when you don't find your rainbow, or you don't get much sleep, or you realize your ministry is a lot harder than you ever expected it would be...sometimes you want to give up, or check out.

Lately, I've just been praying all day long.  God, help me in this situation.  Lord, help me to be patient.  Jesus, please give me strength.  Have you ever felt so tired, so spent, so emotionally drained that you couldn't rest?  Like there was just so much to do and feel you couldn't even stop your mind from going a mile a minute?

I've been reading a book called: The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson.  And guess what?  She has 4 children too...two boys and two girls.  She lives in Tennessee with her husband and is involved in Campus Crusade and with women's and singles ministries in the US and overseas.  

I know that God has designed motherhood to be a "deeply meaningful role," but sometimes I wonder is it okay to want to do more when my kids are so young?  Sometimes I feel like I was made for more than motherhood.  I miss having a career, a pay check, a dream.

Today, God spoke so clearly to me through our guest speaker at MOPS.  Today I learned that I have been having a DRA...

A dirty, rotten, attitude...

And I was glad for her honesty, her advice, her guidance, and her direction.  She pointed all of us right back to God's Word.  She let us know that our roles as moms are valuable.  She reminded us that it's not about "us" and that we are held accountable for our response to others, especially to our families because so often they get the short end of the stick.  She was sweet, she was honest, and she was vulnerable as she shared stories of how life was like when she raised her 5 kids who were close in age...3 boys and 2 girls.

Hearing her speak today gave me so much encouragement that this is a season...that God has a plan for my life...that I am still allowed to dream, but that right now while my kids are young it's my turn to minister, and bless, and invest in their lives.  It's my job to do it with joy.  It's my choice and even though this ministry may be difficult it will be just as rewarding as my teaching ministry (if not more so since I have these 4 children of mine since birth).  How lucky are we as mothers to bring life into the world, watch it grow, and be a vital part of their growth?  It's a ministry for sure.  

I'm thankful for veteran mothers out there who encourage us newer moms and younger moms that are still in the thick of the raising and growing of little people.

So, what does it take to be in a ministry?

It takes a lot of dedication, hard work, and right thinking.  Instead of having a dirty rotten attitude I am going to embrace my ministry, ask for God's help, trust that His plan is better than mine, and love the heck out of my family!