Our household is in one of the busiest seasons we’ve ever experienced. I’m sure there are a few that top this one, such as the seasons of nursing infants, 3 a.m. feedings, months of prenatal bed rest, and a husband serving as an interim pastor an hour and a half from where we live. Those seasons were sometimes brutal!!
However, this current season has been busy in a different way. It’s been filled with recreational sports, youth group meetings, a VERY active toddler whom I nicknamed, ‘MacGyver’, career/business development, AND MY HUSBAND AND ME STEPPING INTO ANOTHER SMALL PORTION OF OUR CALLING ON A LARGER SCALE. WHOA!!
We believe our first call in relationships is to our marriage and family, so with a marriage of 14 1/2 years and four children, I’d say we’re used to walking in those segments of our calling. However, my husband and me stepping into this other small portion on a larger scale is what rocked my peaceful, little pontoon boat.
Part of my peaceful, pontoon boat was raising and pouring into our children, which was my ultimate comfort zone. They’re our “congregation”, and our “congregation” would respectfully listen, sometimes asking questions here and there. We didn’t hear any “amen’s”, but we also didn’t have any church drama. LOLOL! They were easy peasy!
So here we are, as God would have it, being extracted from a place of hiddenness (is that even a word?) where in most ways it’s admittingly more comfortable for me, to a place of increased visibility that’s monitored by Him. (When I say, “monitored by Him.”, it just means that He only releases Brandon and me to the extent of His desire and pleasure.)
When He comes to transition us, what will He find us doing?
I believe when God comes to shift/transition us to another season, He desires to find us doing the last thing He told us to do. It’s like when I tell my two youngest children to sit still until I come back to them, it’s my expectation to find them doing what I last told them to do. So, with Brandon and me, we were found doing what we felt God wanted us doing…PASTORING OUR CHILDREN.
Now, I didn’t say we were found doing it perfectly, or always healthily. In fact, I personally have done a major bang up job at times, as I constantly felt defeated as a mom. Pastors, if not careful, can be found manipulating for behavioral change. They’re sometimes tempted to scare you about Hell to keep you from going there. Listen, I’ve found myself doing a little of it all, whether motivated by fear, of which I’m not proud, or by love. My point is this, we aren’t blameless in the way we poured into them, but ultimately, we were doing what God assigned us to do.
Of course, we’ve had other “God assignments” along the way unrelated to family, but pouring into our children has been our #1 focus. My husband calls it our “Jesus Time”. One of us would do it with them, or we’d all do it together. Sometimes, it was impromptu. Sometimes, we would have our “Jesus Time” in lieu of going to Sunday service. Oooohh, did she just say that? Absolutely…YES I DID! (That’s a topic for another blog post.)
All in all, our home gatherings are just an extension of what we were doing privately, now with added individuals.
So it is with many of you, your ministry/calling/livelihood will most likely be an extension of what you’re already doing.
Although, we’re just at the tip of an iceberg…hopefully not the one that sunk the Titanic… LOL, it’s awesome to see how continuing what God last told you to do is your most likely part of your training for your next assignment. He will not only open doors, but I believe we are in a season where He’s creating doors. He likes to use Man to help us get to places, but don’t be surprised if He does a creative miracle in your life, taking something non-existent, and creating it out of mid-air, using no other name, so that He may get all the glory. Sorry…I got a little excited there. ; ) I’m gonna leave you with this:
No matter how big or small, or how great or unimportant you think what you’re doing may be, JUST BE FOUND DOING IT UNTO HIM AND BY HIM!!