Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Ministry of a SAHM



Lately, I have been thinking about ministry and how I could be a part of some kind of ministry to others. Tad and I met at Moody Bible Institute, and had to do practical mission work every semester we were there. We were trained to do ministry. We watched ministry. We learned from missionaries and others who did ministry full-time. I would love to start a ministry for crises pregnancies, battered women, women in need. I would love to volunteer at already established ministries, working to help with projects, and making a difference in the lives of people.
But every time I get to thinking about the things I would like to do, and how I could do them, I remember my number 1 job right now: my kids. Sometimes I forget the 'ministry' I am privileged to have in raising my kids. It might seem like it's holding me back at times, because I can't get involved in other things. But really, what more important ministry could I have at this time in my life?? Sure, I would love to help in other ministries, and they are important!! But I don't want to take huge chunks of time out of my day to be doing something else that doesn't involve my kids.
I am the only one who has such a huge role in my kids lives. Daddy's are important too, but the mother is the nurturer!! I have all day to invest myself in my kids. I know their every scratch, every encounter, I read them books, watch them play, and even teach them how to play!! I am there for those important questions, and even the times when they watch to see how I react in certain situations.
I think as moms we can easily get distracted with things that aren't our main priority. We do need to have hobbies to keep us sane, and breaks so we don't go crazy. We need to keep our houses clean, and teach our kids how to play by themselves. But we also need to show our kids love and they should know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we love them dearly and that we want to spend time with them!!
We have teachable, "ministry" moments with our little ones all day long. And I hope that in being a stay-at-home-mom, I'm not using my extra time to keep my house perfect and to get all my projects done (guilty). I hope I remember that I'm home so that I can better invest myself into my kids lives and teach them about God, life, and being someone who they can model themselves after (God help me!!)
So the next time you are tempted to think that you aren't "doing anything" or that your job doesn't matter at home, or that you don't have an official title, or that you need to get out there and do some "real" ministry, remember those little people who tug on the bottom of your pants all day long, and remember that helping to shape them into God-fearing adults in the biggest ministry you will ever have.

Disclaimer: I am in no way condemning doing ministry and being a SAHM. My point in this post is to examine the huge role that we play in our kids lives, and to encourage us not to feel like we aren't involved in ministry as SAHMs. I want to encourage the moms out there to press on in the role we have right now with our kids!!

4 comments:

  1. Stephanie, I couldn't agree with you more. I too, felt those same "pressures" while raising my kids. As soon as they were old enough, we started local ministry together; Salvation Army Christmas gift wrapping, cooking dinners for the elderly at church, occasional babysitting for children from unsaved families etc. Those activities gave them an upclose feel for selfless giving. It was a blessing that words can't measure!

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  2. Wow, that is a great way to look at it as well. I can look forward to the time when we can do ministry together, and I can teach them about having a servant's heart. Thanks for that perspective. Love it!!

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  4. Well said! Last night, my husband mentioned he doesn't know where our son gets all the Jesus stuff he talks about and I joked that we have deep philosophical discussions when I sit by his bed at night. (And it's true that that tends to be when my son asks the big questions.) And then a minute later I was like, you know, I will take that as a compliment. I do talk about God and Jesus whenever I think it fits in conversation. Like if my son asks where do bananas come from, I'll tell him they grow on trees as well as that God created everything and so on. So it's very much a ministry and I probably should focus on it more than I do, but it was nice to hear from my husband that the message is getting through. :-)

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