During my high school years, at Old North's youth group and Camp Lakeview I really fell in love with the Lord. I fell in love with studying his word, with prayer, with giving to others, and I really fell in love with sharing the Gospel in word and deed.
Thanks to the wonderful encouragement of so many Camp Lakeview staff members, especially Lark and Whitney, as well as one of my youth group leaders Heather, I felt pushed to live a life of love for Christ and his people.
In college, I quickly found that I was not one to lead worship or preach or work in music ministry, I felt more at home serving meals or meeting one on one with people. I also quickly realized that formal group Bible study was not for me. Even so, I very much imagined a life active in the church and church fellowship much like the example I had from my grandparents and parents as they all, in different capacities, have joyfully served their churches and community.
After college and college summers spent working at Lakeview, I got lost.
Where did I fit in the ministry?
How did I fit in ministry?
What work did the Lord want me to be doing and why was it not clear?
The I became a Mama.
For a while I knew, very clearly, that my job was to train up my children in the word of the Lord.
(Proverbs 22:6)
But what else? Surely there was something else the Lord would have me do.
I continued to make friends, develop relationships, go to play groups, school Annabeth, etc and all the while I wondered when God would show me what I was supposed to be doing for Him.
Then one day, I realized, I already was. I was working in the "Mama Ministry." I was meeting strangers and making them friends. I was taking meals to people, baby sitting, encouraging, lending an ear, opening our home and doing it all because I love Him. I may not present each of these opportunities as a Bible study and I may not hand out a Bible worksheet to people who come in. But I pray that our open door, the food on our table, the gifts we share, are a light for Him in this often dark world.
My life, my family's lives, are His. We are His people, designed by him fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and to Him be all the glory. Amen.
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." - Acts 20:24 (My favorite verse)
2 comments:
Amy, I can so very much relate to this. I have also felt a passion to serve the Lord and I have been very active doing that in various ways but when I had my first child - though I loved it - I was rather unsure what my role was in ministry at that time. "Mama Ministry" is also what developed here and I love it!! There have been so many opportunities to encourage others and share God's love and truth. And it is so fun to get to do it with the next generation - knowing that they will then work on sharing Christ in their lives and again pass that on to the next generation.
Thank you for reading and commenting! Your role as a mama-homeschooling-homesteading-crafting woman of the Lord is such a encouragement to me!
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