Becoming a Family that Serves

by: Cassia Glass (Houston, Texas)

When it seems like most days are spent wiping runny noses and picking up toys, it's hard to imagine there will ever be time to pursue ministry opportunities. As I recently shared with a group of moms, though, you might be doing more than you think.

The first thing is... to remember what’s first! If I have been called to be a wife and mom (as evidence by the fact that I’m married with kids!), then after loving the Lord, my next priority is to love my husband and children. This means that "outward facing" activities at work, at church, or in the community, will need to fall to a lower priority in my life. For our family, this has meant that for a season, I have been very focused on my household as a stay-at-home-mom. I have taken occasional contract work, and I do some Bible study ministry at certain times of the year. However, I want those outward facing activities to be an extension of my family life, never in opposition to it. Furthermore, I want my family to work and serve alongside me, sharing in my joy of reaching out to others. To help me find the right balance, I have learned to use my husband as a sounding board for outside activities. Bible-study author Denise Glenn says that when the phone rings with someone asking her to serve in a particular way, she says, "That sounds interesting. I will talk it over with my husband and get back to you." Then, she listens to what he has to say! I, too, have found that my husband gives me another perspective on how I'm spending my time and energy and how it affects our family.

Second, never underestimate how important the normal, daily training of children is to any future outreach opportunities for your family. The truth is, kids who are whiny, ill-mannered, selfish and disobedient are a hindrance to anyone's ministry. Of course, all kids have days when they are one or all of the above! But that's why they have Mom to teach them about having a good attitude, a gracious heart, and an obedient spirit. Mom, if you are in the trenches doing the day-in, day-out godly parenting you've been called to do, then you are having an impact that can change the world. When it is the right time and God puts an opportunity in front of your family, your kids are going to be the ones helping box up the food pantry items, diligently cleaning the fellowship hall, and taking homemade treats to the shut-in neighbor. It takes time, courage and dedication to become a family that serves, but it is worth it!

Finally, we need a reminder that wherever we are right now is exactly where we are called to serve. We are to be "redeeming the time, for the days are evil." (Eph 5:16) That means walking through our day bringing mercy, grace and resurrection power into the lives of the people with whom we interact. Some ideas from my house:

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• Keep disposable containers on hand to take a meal to someone and pray with them.

• Keep open time in the family schedule so that you're available when God sends someone to sit at your kitchen table who needs to hear that He really, truly does care about them. 

• Leave a tip for the people who clean the tables at the fast food place so they will know that you notice and appreciate their hard work. Point out other hard-working people to your children and take time to thank those people.

• Drive or walk around the neighborhood, quietly praying for the families that live there and praying over the houses that are for sale. Then, actually get to know the neighbors!

• Involve the kids in simple outreach projects like stuffing backpacks with school supplies, collecting for the food pantry, or helping you babysit for a harried mom so she can get a break.

• Tell your kids that they are serving, too, when they stay quiet while you pray with someone on the phone or open the door for you as you carry a tray of food to your car.

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Little things, yes, but I believe with all my heart that when my family is faithful in these little things, our Father smiles. What little ways to serve have you found in your own home?

Let's build together!

Have you ever worried that people think you are too young and inexperienced to do a job?  I have!  When I got my first full-time job teaching college students, I was only 24 years old.  Throughout the interview process, I kept telling myself I was only doing this "for the experience," but when I finally got the call saying the job was mine, all I could think was: "Yes, Yes, Yes!  But, don't you know how old I am??!" 

It makes me laugh that Solomon must have felt this way, too!  In I Chronicles 29:1, King David said to the people: "My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great ..."  Wow, that must have been hard to hear!  But, thankfully, David didn't stop there.  He asked for volunteers to help Solomon complete the job.  In the end, the labor was done by the hands of many craftsmen, and many people donated their gold, silver and precious stones to the effort.

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And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord ... then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart, they had offered willingly to the Lord... (I Chronicles 29: 8-9)

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God, again, has me in a place where I feel young and inexperienced, but He has called me to build this community of women, and I am excited to see where this journey takes us.  I am surrounded by women who each have their own "precious stones" to share, and I believe that God is again asking for volunteers! 

What has God given you the heart and the ability to do? 

• invest in the spiritual lives of your children
• budget and stretch your family's money
• pray continually
• entertain and open your home to others
• get your children excited about learning
• prepare healthy meals that everyone enjoys
• keep your home organized

Please pray, and see if the Lord is calling you to share some of your precious stones with us!  If we join in this building effort together, I believe each of our homes will be strengthened!

Just do it!

There is a strange phenomenon that occurs in my house when my husband is away. I put the kids to bed early, and then, by some completely illogical non-decision, I stay up entirely too late and get absolutely nothing done! Some of you may actually use this time to get more done, but thankfully I have talked with enough dear friends lately to know it's not just me!

Life around here gets jumbled, and as much as I try to get it all done, I'm just not the super-dee-duper, keep the house spotless and my kids bright and shiny Mom that I'd like to be! In all honesty, sometimes I get the kids in bed and head straight for the couch to watch some fairly pointless tv show or fiddle on my laptop!

That being said, it's funny how God finds ways to call me on the carpet when I get a little lackadaisical about it all. In 1 Chronicles today, King David was talking to his son Solomon about the temple.  As David pulled out his "blueprints," Solomon must have felt completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work he was about to do. But listen to what David said to him:

"Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary ... "  "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord God - my God - will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord." (I Chronicles 28: 10, 20)

This encouragement is not just for Solomon, it is for us as well!  Proverbs 14:1 reads, "The wise woman builds her house, and the foolish tears it down with her hands."  This tells me that we, as women, are builders commissioned by God, just as Solomon was.  The temple we are building, though, is right at our fingertips. It's in the hearts of our children, in the home we create for them, and in the character we're trying to build in them!

When life starts to pile up around us, and the job feels so big that we don't even know where to start, just remember David's words! Be strong and of good courage, AND DO IT. I love that! Not 'be strong and of good courage, and think about it,' or 'be strong and of good courage, and come up with a good plan, or commiserate with friends, or wait until tomorrow.'  God has chosen each one of us to build our own homes, and we need to do it!  And the best part is that He will not leave us or forsake us until we finish all the work He has called us to do!

If that makes you nervous, David also tells Solomon in verse 9, "If you seek Him, He will be found by you."  Solomon took those words to heart when he asked the Lord for wisdom.  We, too, need to remember to seek the Lord, and make sure that we are following His blueprints for our life and not our own.  His plans for us are far more beautiful than ours could ever be! 

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"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."  (James 1:5)

Where do I fit in?

I was out at dinner last night with some of my husband's co-workers and one man turned to me and said "So, what do you do?" My mind immediately went to something my friend Hillary asked a group of working-turned-stay-at-home-moms a few years ago: When people ask you what you do, how many of you start your answer with "Well, I used to ... "? That question has always resonated with me, so in that split second I made the conscious decision to proudly say, "I get to stay home with my kids right now." Well, his reply was "Oh, that's a really good thing ..." {silence} Well, thankfully, for the benefit of the conversation-hungry people at the table, my husband volunteered the "she used to be a teacher part", and we all joined in a lively conversation about the educational system in this country.

Hey, I tried, right?!

Isn't it strange how we can spend our time doing such important things as making lunches, teaching sunday school, or helping our kids with their homework, and still feel like we aren't doing something note-worthy?! I can tell that God is working with me on this, because it's been coming up a lot lately.  Simply put, I'm adjusting to the new life God has given me.  My "up-front, in-charge, teacher, worship leader" personality is having to get used to doing some of the behind-the-scenes, neccessary, repetitive tasks that are important and need to be done.  

A few weeks ago, I came across this story in I Samuel, and I was immediately struck by the last verse.  I didn't know why at the time, but now I do!  (my paraphrase) ... David and the six hundred men with him came to a ravine, where some stayed behind, for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross.  Therefore, David and the four hundred men continued the pursuit, defeated the Amalekites, and brought back all of their possessions.  Immediately, some of the men who had gone to battle with David said "Because the two hundred men did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered."  But David responded by saying "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given to us.  The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to battle.  All will share alike." (I Samuel 30: 9-25)

Isn't that a wonderful picture of how God views us?  We are all part of the body of Christ, whether we are are the hand or the foot, the beautiful eyes or the stubby big toe, and we are all important!  In this beautiful life that we live, there are exciting jobs and mundane jobs.  There are famous writers and those that do their editing.  There are ministry leaders and those that clean up after everyone leaves.  If you find yourself feeling like what you do is unimportant, remember that what we do, we do for the Lord and not for men, and the Lord promises that we will all share in His glorious reward!

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And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.  (Colossians 3:23-24)

Renewing our strength

I've been feeling a little weary today, in mind and body, and I've realized I have the tendency to look to other people to lift my spirits.  Yes, there are times I just reach for a cup of coffee or dream about taking a nap, but more often than not, I look to someone else to give me a bit of sympathy.  We all know, though, that when we're spending our day with children (or even co-workers), sympathy can be hard to come by!  What we can't forget is that we have a loving, heavenly Father with open ears and open arms, waiting patiently for us to run to Him!

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Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

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The Lord is our Comfort.  In these verses, He meets us right where we are, and gently reassures us by saying even youths grow tired and weary.  He knows exactly how we are feeling!  God's blessing, though, is that He gives us so much more than sympathy ... He gives us hope.  When we place our eyes on the Lord, and not on our circumstances, we will find strength.  We will soar on wings like eagles, we will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not grow faint!  We can take comfort in the fact that God, our Father, understands us and wants to lift us up!

If you have a special verse that ministers to you when you're feeling weary, please share it with us!

The confidence of David

I read about David and Goliah this morning, and I am blown away by the confidence of this young man!  As Goliath makes his threats to Saul's army, the soldiers around him tremble and begin to run, but David stands firm and boldly responds: ... who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? (I Samuel 17:26)  It is as if he is saying "Who has the right to threaten my God?  Don't you know who He is?" 

When God calls us to action, do the doubts of others cause us to question our own convictions?  When the world around us buckles under the pressure of compromise, do we stand firm?  When others disagree with the tough decisions we make on behalf of our families, do we keep silent or do we boldly use the opportunity to share our faith with them? 

Even as believers, we may be like the rest of the army and run from time to time.  But through prayer and time in the Word, we can rebuild our confidence and refocus our minds on our all-powerful, all-knowing Father who has our lives and the lives of our children securely in His hands! 

In 2 Timothy, Paul says, "... I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." (2 Timothy 1:12)  I love that!  FOR I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED!!!  When the Lord calls us to act, let us all stand firm as David did, knowing without a doubt that our confidence is found in Him!

A sacrifice of time

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

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Sacrifice. God loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son on the cross for us. Jesus sacrificed His own flesh so that we might live in eternity with Him.  We know we are supposed to love others as Christ loves us, but how do we apply this sacrificial love to those around us, particularly our children?

For me, I have to be willing to sacrifice my time. My personal, this-is-what-I-want-to-do time. What is it that you want to do? In reality, the “what” doesn’t matter so much, it’s the desire that goes along with it. My desire, my plan, my expectation for how my day is going to go. (Notice all the “my” statements!)

I came face to face with this today when my daughter came out of her room early during naptime. I was happily doing what I wanted to do, and instead she wanted me to color with her. My first response was … ok babe, why don’t you bring your paper over here and color next to me? (While I keep working on this.) Thankfully, she wasn’t content with that answer, and I quickly realized that this was one of those moments. A chance for me to offer up my time, my own fleshly desires, as a sacrifice to the Lord … and as a blessing to my daughter.

You can probably guess what happened!  God totally blessed our time together. While my other children were sleeping, we colored together, side by side, and she loved it. It’s something that I’m realizing is very important to my daughter, and I am so thankful to the Lord for giving me the chance to spend that special time with her today!

Do you struggle with sacrifice?
In what ways have you been able to show sacrificial love for your family lately?

My Prayer

God has blessed me with many wonderful friends that I look up to and enjoy spending time with. But, like many of you, time is the one thing I don't seem to have a lot of! As a mom, life can get busy, and even when it's not, I try my best to protect those few days we have each week to simply enjoy being at home!

If I could, I would invite each of you to my house so we could sit around the kitchen table and visit. We'd laugh about the funny things our children have said and share stories of what God is doing in our lives. We'd talk about what's been working lately, maybe share a few recipes, and we'd pray together.

Motherhood is an exciting adventure filled with rewards, but our desire to be present for our children can sometimes leave us longing for fellowship. So if you find yourself needing to be refreshed, inspired or simply reminded of the good work you are already doing, it is my prayer that you would come find us here ... and be encouraged!

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Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)