We’re moving again. The kids will
have new schools again. We’ll get to know new neighbors and new local shops
again. How can this be good for my
children? Kids need stability and routine, and we’re about to toss them in
the air. Again.
My ministry responsibilities pull
me away when they’re at home. What about my responsibilities as a parent, my
calling to be a mom? What if they need me
while I’m out counseling someone else?
They don’t know the Bible stories and
the Sunday School songs other children know. They have no consistent Godly
influences in their lives except my husband and me. I have to teach them
everything they need to know about the Bible, God, faith, and Jesus! How can I possibly do that? (This was
while we lived overseas.)
Does any of this sound familiar? I’ve thought…okay, said...all these things over the years.
The calling to be a minister isn’t an individual
proposition. If your husband is called into church leadership or some other
kind of ministry, his family is called as well. Chances are, you too are
called, and no matter what, you want to stand alongside your husband in
ministry. There’s seminary to consider for one or both of you, as well as
possible cross-country moves and the inevitable odd demands of life in ministry:
late-night visits, working while others relax, preparation for the next
meeting. It takes a toll on your family life…on your children.
In fact, some of those ministry decisions appear detrimental
to our children’s development. They go against conventional parenting wisdom.
But here’s what I want you to know:
God loves your children more than you love them.
God not only wants the best for your children, but He is actively
pursuing it. He knows their future occupations and experiences. He knows what
they need right now to move toward their own callings. He smiles on children,
loves them, protects them. Even on the days when you should have stayed home
but you put the ministry ahead of your own family, He filled in your gaps.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift
you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
-1 Peter 5:6-7
If He has called you far away from family and friends, He
will take care of you. If the lean years of seminary mean you can’t afford a
Christmas tree, He will sustain you. If your kids don’t get to go to Sunday
School for all their elementary years, He will open their minds to His Word in
other ways.
He did all that for us—and more. I’m counting on Him to
continue, too, because we’re planning to move. Again.
Question for
reflection: Do you feel the pull of differing responsibilities? Do you
sometimes feel the clash between your calling to be a parent and to minister
outside your home? How can you cast all that anxiety on Jesus because he cares
for you…and your children?
Need more? Check
out this post on my blog: When
Guilt Grounds Me.
About the Author:
Carole Sparks is passionate about God’s Word—about how it can change our everyday lives! After years of globetrotting, she now lives, learns, and loves (plus a good bit of writing) in the hills of East Tennessee. Connect with Carole through her blog, http://notaboutme1151.wordpress.com, or on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
