There are often many reasons we find our lives are anything but simple. One reason discussed in Chapter Two of Becoming a Woman of Simplicity is our desire to serve. Often that service is in the church or many of the organizations that need the help of others. First, we must ask ourselves why are we serving? Is it to find acceptance from God?
Taken from Pg. 29 and 30 of Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald:
God’s love is unconditional and He wants us to be free from the burden of feeling that we must work for His acceptance and instead be free to do good things He has planned for us. Otherwise we begin to worship our work or allow our work to become burdensome.
God’s gift of salvation is a free gift. We are not saved because of anything we do but because of what He did on the cross. Works are a result of salvation not a requirement for salvation. I think that is very important to understand. We do not have to work for our salvation. The thief on the cross never had a chance to come down off the cross and do any works; yet Jesus assured him he would be with Him in heaven that day when he believed Jesus was the Son of God. (Luke 23:40-43)
Yes, if we are a child of God then He has a ministry for us. He places us where He wants us to be. So this season of your life your main ministry may be inside your own home. Does that mean you never reach outside of your walls to others? No, I believe God will give us opportunities to minister to others as well, but I don’t believe that ministry will cause us to neglect our family. Maybe you are in a season of life where you have more time for outside ministry. He expects us to use our gifts and talents for His glory whether it is for a complete stranger or our own husband or children.
So how do we know what we should be doing? By walking daily with Him so that we hear His voice.
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him. Philippians 2:13
One thing is for sure, if our ministry is keeping us from having time with the Lord then it is not from God. We must remember that we are responsible for keeping our focus on the Lord and He is responsible for leading us in the path He wants us to go.
5 comments:
I started week two yesterday and can already tell that I will be learning a lot from it. The thing that sticks out to me most is the story about the woman that works all the time, trying to earn Gods acceptance. "'Doing' to earn acceptance robbed her of a life of rest and simplicity." It makes me wonder how much 'doing' am I doing and how much of that is for God, for his glory?
I like how you said if our ministry is keeping us from having time with the Lord then it is not from Him. This is something I hope to keep in mind as I work, take on extra projects, etc... Thank you for sharing your thoughts :) ~Kristina
Kristina,
I think so many of us fall into that trap of doing because it is expected of us. I know I have. But what I am learning is that God has things for us to do, but He doesn't expect us to do everything. I am hoping that as I learn to abide in Him I will be able to tell the difference.
When I was a new mom, I heard very often the idea that moms (especially ones with little children!) NEED to have a ministry besides "just" being mom and being busy at home - so that they can feel fulfilled & valuable. As a result I struggled a lot during those years, with my contentment in being at home, and my worth as "just" being a mom. We need to hear from more ladies like you! Thank you!!
Thank you Collette. I can relate to what you are saying. The world (even other Christian women) tells us that we need to do something outside of our home, that our identity should not be wrapped up in the home. Sadly, I fell for that for many years and was always searching for more. My family suffered greatly because of it. The Lord, through His word and the encouragement of other Godly women helped me to see that our home must be our first ministry.
What a wonderful post. This is so true. I have struggled with this sooo many times. I am a go getter, servant heart, on fire Jesus Freak. Smiles. Thanks for sharing.
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