Heart Lessons part 3

Part 1
Part 2
THE MINISTRY OF MOTHERHOOD: Is mothering enough?

I mentioned here that I really struggled last summer with what the Lord was asking me to do and to give up. I knew that He wanted me to lay aside my ministry leading our moms group at church, and focus on my family. As painful as it was to step aside, I did it out of obedience to my Savior, trusting that He knows best for me and for that ministry. I had peace about the decision, however I wondered at how my heart would feel as fall began, and things moved on without me.

Thinking about it made my heart hurt too much. I really struggled to find my self worth. I am no longer "in ministry", which has been so much a part of me...maybe a little too much. I suddenly found myself at a loss. "Who am I?" "I am only just a mom now. " I know it sounds terrible, but I really felt like I no longer had much value because I wasn't being used. I KNEW how important my role as a mother was, that is one of the reasons I stepped down from what I was doing. But my head knowledge was not connecting to my heart.

I can honestly say that these past 9 months or so of being "out" of church ministry have been such a blessing...unlike any I have ever known. I have been able to find true joy and purpose. I was so blessed to be used in serving the woman at our church. I truly enjoyed my time in that ministry. But I feel as though I have found my calling to be a mother, and to do it whole hearted. I am not implying that you cannot be involved in outside ministry. God calls a lot of moms to ministry outside their 4 walls...this was a very personal decision for me, and one that the Lord has given me total peace about.

For me, finding peace and joy came down to 3 things.

1. Stepping out in obedience--I knew that the Lord was asking me to set aside ministry in our church to focus on our family. My heart had become too divided, so it was time to step down.

2. Remembering that my self worth is not in what I do-- Who I am is found in Christ. My identity is in Him--not my ministry, my husband or my kids...only in Christ. "
"For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Col 3:3

3. Perspective--Looking at life through God's eyes, and determining what is important. Understanding my calling as a mom and the GREAT importance of that. Seeing each day as a gift, and each moment with my little ones as an opportunity to impact eternity.

A few quotes I want to share that really encouraged my heart on the subject of perspective:

Anne Morrow Lindberg observed somewhere in her timeless little book, "Gift from the sea", that most of us don't really mind pouring our lives out for a reason. What we do resent is the feeling that it is being dribbled away in small, meaningless drops for no good reason.
For me, one of the greatest frustrations of walking through the 'dailiness' of my life as a Christian is that I don't always get to see how the bits and pieces of who I am fit into the big picture of God's plan. It's tempting at times to see my life as a meal here, a meeting there, a carpool, a phone call, a sack of groceries- all disjointed fragments of nothing in particular.
And yet I know I am called, as God's child, to believe by faith that they do add up. That in some way every single scrap of my life, every step and every struggle, is the process of being fitted together into God's huge and perfect pattern for good.--Claire Cloninger (When God Shines Through)
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The story is told of Three woman washing clothes. A passerby asked each what she was doing.
"Washing clothes" Was the first answer.
"A bit of household drudgery" was the second.
"I'm mothering three young children who someday will fill important and useful spheres in life, and wash-day is a part of my grand task in caring for these souls who shall live forever" was the third.

Ordinary work, which is what most of us do most of the time, is ordained by God every bit as much as is the extraordinary. All work done for God is spiritual work and therefore not mearly a duty but a holy privilege.--Elisabeth Elliot (The Shaping of a Christian Family)

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Eph 2:10

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men." Col. 3:23

I love these! Seeing life through heavenly lenses really changes my perspective. The ordinary things that I do, the work that often feels mundane--the laundry, dishes, cooking and cleaning, fits together to complete this perfect plan that God has for me. I am fulfilling God's plan for me and thus bringing Him glory in all the "small" tasks. Suddenly the ordinary turns into something that feels more like extraordinary. I am blessed, my heart is light...what an awesome privilege I have been handed in mothering my little ones.

Thank you God for the grace that is bestowed, the joy that has been given, and the peace that ensues, for this journey called motherhood.