Times, They are A-Changing

The Lord has opened doors for our family that I continue to marvel at every single day! A brief explanation is in order. 

This summer, I began to feel the call on my heart to stay at home with my children. Initially, I thought that I was only being selfish, and that it really had nothing to do with following the Lord or being a better wife and mother. But the more I listened, the more I prayed and read and studied. I inquired of people who live this lifestyle, and sought wisdom from them as to why they feel it is necessary for them to stay at home with their children. Throughout the summer, God continued to convict me about where the majority of my time and energy went during the school year. Check out this brief overview of a typical day for me: 

5:50 - Alarm 

7:15 - Out the door 

4:00, 5:00, or 5:30 - Off work and headed home 

6:15 - We're lucky if supper is on the table yet 

7:00 - Bath time 

8:00 - Trek is in bed 

8:30 or 9:00 - Lorelai is in bed 

10:00 - CRASH! 

Where is there time for my family in this scenario? Sure, we MIGHT have 45 minutes at the dinner table together. And we MAY have 30-40 minutes of play time after baths. But not usually! The more I considered my life, and the struggles that I actually took the time to notice, the more I realized that my job was getting the best of me. And I LOVED my job! God has given me the ability to teach, and He's given me a love for young, energetic students. So why on earth was I spending 8-10 hours per day with OTHER people's children?! Why was I investing all of my time and energy into serving them? and then coming home completely exhausted, at the end of my rope, and honestly, just plain mean!? So I continued to pray. Fervently. I began to ask very close friends to pray for specific things in my life. And God began to move. He began to soften Jeremy's heart to the importance of me being in the home. He began to show us ways that we could cut back financially in order to survive on one income. He began to open up avenues of communication between the two of us, so that we could share our hearts in a more clear way. God is a miracle worker! 

But I did end up going back to work. After talking and praying and "crunching numbers", we decided to give it until December. That was our compromise, and I thought that I could be okay with that. But I was not. After 1 1/2 days of work (both kids ended up sick almost immediately), I had had enough. Not because I had a "bad job", but because it was not the right job. My mother, in all of her wisdom, suggested I cut my work week to 2 days per week, pull the kids out of school, and stay home with them part-time. Genius! Why didn't we think of this sooner?! Immediately, everything fell into place. And last week, I began my journey of being a part-time Stay at Home Mom. This is not the end of my journey. I am pushing for full time, but that will happen in God's time. I believe that He is faithful. And when He calls you so clearly to something, through His Word and other believers, He will make a way for things to happen for His glory. 

I am still learning. Still searching. Still seeking wisdom. I'm finding it in Scripture, in preaching, in reading, and in women who are traveling this road to the glory of God. I am seeking to honor Him with my life. It is not my own. I have been given the most precious gift in all the world. The gift of children. I desire to maximize my time with them! I will do without earthly comforts and treasures, if only to spend more hours investing in the lives of my babies. I desire to serve my husband better, by being home more and dedicating my time to maintaining our household. I am committed to walking beside and behind him as he leads us in the Lord, and I only want to encourage and strengthen him as we grow together in Christ. I pray that God will use me to minister to others. 

I have no desire to mince words and make everything all sunshine and rainbows. This is hard. This is messy. This is a struggle. But we will do it, and we will do it to the glory of God. May His name be made famous in us. I love to read, and I especially love to read books from which I can gain wisdom. I encourage you to check out these books about the biblical call of wives and mothers. I found both of them in the Amazon Kindle store. I am always looking for more suggestions about where I can gain wisdom and biblical knowledge that I know is necessary to raise our children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." 

Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney 

Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham Jr.