Ministry/Minister: one who serves or assists someone else; an
exercise of one’s gifts and resources (Dictionary of the Life Application
Study Bible, NIV). This is the biblical definition of ministry and what a
minister literally does. Would you believe we minister every day?
As a wife and mother of two, I’d
never really thought of ministry, I always viewed it as having to do with
preaching and teaching of the Word. Then between reading Desperate by Sally
Clarkson & Sarah Mae AND talking with my husband one morning. I REALLY
realized that even though I don’t particularly serve in a “ministry” I actually
do. What I mean is that in serving my husband and children, I am in ministry. There is ministry in marriage and motherhood.
As a wife, we are called and
created to be a helpmeet. Eve, the first woman/wife/mother, was created to be a
helpmeet. She was created to serve and glorify God. When you help a person, you aren't taking charge and leading them, no you quietly help them as they need
it, as they request it, in essence you serve their needs. As a mom, the entire
first few years of your child(ren)’s life is spent in servitude. You’re fixing
bottles, changing diapers, wiping up drool, etc… You are literally serving your
child(ren). Even as they get older you are still serving them in making sure
they eat, have clean clothes, and learn.
I honestly believe (I have my
moments) that in life we all have our ministries. We want to see them thrive
and excel, we want to see them glorify God. Marriage and motherhood is no
different. As a wife I want to see my marriage thrive and glorify God, I want
it to become a legacy of love and commitment not only to ourselves and our
family but also to the Lord. As a mom, I want to see my children thrive, excel,
and glorify God with their lives. I want to see my children grow and mature. My
home I want to nurture it so that it becomes and remains a safe haven for my
family, where they feel comfortable and secure. Isn't that what you essentially do in ministry? You attend the
Lord’s sheep, nurturing and protecting them so that they can mature and glorify
God with their lives. Even if you aren't pastoring a church but in missions,
you still want to nurture the people you come across, pointing them to Christ,
helping them mature along the way, all for the Lord’s glory.
I write this for wives and mothers,
husbands and fathers. You are in ministry in your marriage, in your family. Use
your marriage not only for personal pleasure, but make sure God gets the glory.
Your children raise them, but make sure you instill knowledge of who God is in
them. And by all means don’t ever
underestimate what you do and what you are responsible for. Paul reminds us
that BEFORE a person can even serve in the church, they had to have served in
their family and have served well. It should be visible for all to see. (Check
out 1 Timothy 3 & Titus 1:5-9) Something that I've learned in the past couple years is that what works well for one family may not necessarily work for yours. You MUST do what's best for your family, not what you see on a blog or twitter, because YOU have to live with the results.
Colossians 4:17 “Tell
Archippus: See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the
Lord.” I think this charge is to every husband, wife, father, and
mother. We have been entrusted with the ministry of our marriages, of our
families and we are charged with seeing it through. I was once told, there are
no days off in motherhood and I can attest to their being no days off in both marriage and motherhood. Everyday you've got to put your best foot forward and thank God in
everything.
Couples/parents there will be some
hard days. There will be some storms. There will be the tough days when you
want to throw in the towel. I encourage you through Paul’s words in 2
Corinthians 4:1, “therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not
lose heart.” I encourage you not to lose heart but be thankful that you
have your spouse and children to serve and minister to.
~Love to you all
Kris Bush
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love your feedback. Your testimony, comment or suggestion could always help the next person. LOVE.