Living the Life of a Wife in the Ministry

Today's post is a bit touchy and difficult to write but it is all part of our journey into the ministry. My desire is to document that journey, the good with the bad. So, here goes!

Satan has been attacking me via other Christians. It seems my roles in the church as well as my role as a mother is in question. In the past year or so, I have taken on several tasks within our church and our homeschooling co-op. This has meant many hours for me and the kids spent at church. I will be the first to admit that I have not always handled those responsibilities in a way that was pleasing to the Lord. There have been days when my children have been put on the back burner due to my "work for the Lord" and I have gotten my priorities out of order. I have been, on many occasions, more than impatient with them. I have also placed a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of my oldest child. I am ashamed to admit all of that but I have asked the Lord and them for forgiveness and mercy.

Having said all that, I am a work-in-progress. I am a wife-in-the-ministry-in-training. I need the Lord each and every day to teach me what I should be as a wife, a mother, and a woman in the ministry. I need more experienced women to teach me by loving example and gentle direction. I need support from my church family as well as my natural family. I need mercy when I do mess up.

What you may not know is that the Lord is continually growing me as a wife, mother, and woman in the ministry. I have prayed and will continue to pray for Him to show me areas in my life that need to be changed. One of those areas I have mentioned in my two previous posts - NO DR. PEPPER and MORE WATER. As a result of this change in my life, I feel healthier and I am not experiencing as much pain. I have more energy to run with my toddler and I can still get other things done around the house and at the church. That was my goal - to be able to be a better wife, mother, teacher, and church member by being healthier.

After learning what others are saying about me and my parenting, I stayed up late into the night praying and seeking the Lord on the matter. He showed me, through His Word and through His people, that I am doing what I should be doing (not always perfectly but I am at least on the right track). I should not quit working at the church but I should always put my roles as wife and mother before church work. I just have to learn to balance the ministry to my family with my ministry at the church and in WACHE. All of this is part of living the life of a woman in the ministry. Yes, there are things that need to be done at the church but they are never  more important than time with my family, loving my husband and training my children. My children are my mission field and what I am doing now will impact them for all of eternity.

So, if you see me getting things out of balance, I would appreciate loving words of encouragement to help me get things back in line with what the Lord has intended. I love being a part of the family of God and getting the opportunity to serve the Lord with gladness in my home as well as in the church. I just want to please the Lord in all that I do.

All that being said, I am reminded of a song I learned as a child and I still enjoy singing it.
            He's still working on me,
            To make me what I ought to be.
            It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars,
            The sun and Earth and Jupiter and Mars.
            How loving and patient He must be,
            He's still working on me!