I Want to Be significant. There. I Said It.
The young mother held her baby tenderly as she stood next to the baptismal font. She was just a child herself, but one could easily sense the pride and love she had for her new baby as she held him close.
All eyes were on the young girl as she presented her new and tiny love to the congregation. She felt the pride and significance any mother feels when given the joy of introducing a new tiny person to the world.
I watched in wonder.
I remember the significance I felt as a new mother.
Was she searching for that?
Was she yearning for importance and a purpose?
Was that part of what brought her here to this moment of motherhood at such a young age?
Is that part of what brings any of us to that moment of motherhood?
All women do not desire motherhood. And some who do find themselves with empty arms.
Regardless, we DO all seek some significance in our little corner of the world. Whether it’s to feel needed, validated, or desired - we can all relate to wanting to be relevant.
When I left my full-time job to be more available to my kids and my self-employed husband, I felt pretty irrelevant. I went from having respect, colleagues, and clear purpose to having a small house with two small children and lots of crying. Not only did I no longer have a comfortable community at my disposal, I certainly wasn’t getting much respect from the baby who had her own plans and a 4-year-old who was testing boundaries. I felt empty and aching and I longed to understand what God wanted me to do.
But it turned out my emptiness wasn’t because I was in the wrong place.
God had brought me to that place very deliberately.
Instead, it was because I didn’t understand the ways of God. (Remember that ‘your ways are not MY ways’ business? Yeah, that.)
Specifically, I didn’t recognize the significance of the job He had given me.
It wasn’t until I was reading The Spirituality of the Cross by Gene Veith, I saw how God’s calling for me was much more than I realized.
Being a mother wasn’t what I expected (news flash!). Furthermore, I had never thought of being a mother as being my ¨calling.¨ I was ¨called¨ to be a teacher. Being a mother and a wife - those were things I had chosen to do. At the time, I had just hoped and prayed God was on-board with those decisions too.
But that’s not so Biblical.
Veith explained that my calling is not only defined by the occupation I hold. The dictionary’s fourth definition of vocation is as follows: ¨a function or station in life to which one is called by God.¨ This was the perspective I was missing.
The station we are called to can be a job, certainly. But there are various other aspects of life where we serve God by serving our neighbor. That is the greatest commandment, right? Love your God with all your heart, and soul, and might. AND love your neighbor as yourself. Well, that basically becomes our job when we are part of the brotherhood and sisterhood of believers.
So when I’m a wife in a marriage, my calling is to love and honor and respect my spouse.
If I’m a parent, my calling is to sacrifice for my kids, love them, teach them, and raise them in the knowledge of Him.
If I’m a teacher, I’m called to serve others as I teach my students and interact with staff.
If I’m in retail, or a doctor, or a therapist, or a farmer, or a designer, or a builder, or a musician... The pattern continues throughout the circumstances and various roles we find ourselves in. As we go about our business, God is using us to serve one another. I love the very related quote from Gustaf Wingren - ¨God doesn’t need our good works, but our neighbor does.¨
All of this dramatically changed my perspective of my new role as stay-at-home mom. As I gradually learned more about how ¨all the vocations are channels of God’s love¨ (Veith 94), I recognized the value and significance my daily life could have. Not because I was daily serving such a large number of people, or because my work was so ground-breaking. Not because I could win awards for keeping my house in order (I couldn’t) or because I did SUCH a great job of loving my husband (I didn’t). But my life was relevant because God had called me to this particular place with these particular people, where He had a job for me to serve them in everyday ways.
My Father’s grace is overwhelming.
He validated my life by dying on the cross to pay the debt of my sin.
He humbled Himself and suffered, because it was the only way for me to be reconciled with Him.
He lovingly poured out His mercy and gifted me with the Holy Spirit who guides and comforts and sanctifies me.
But ALSO
He gave me the gift of purpose.
He gave me the gift of service, where I can be of use to my brothers and sisters as I learn to love and sacrifice. This process of serving my community, of being called to daily love, has completely redefined my life.
No matter how old the new mother, how seasoned the nurse, or how ambitious the entrepreneur… in the order of Christian love we are given purpose and relevance.
But that’s not so Biblical.
Veith explained that my calling is not only defined by the occupation I hold. The dictionary’s fourth definition of vocation is as follows: ¨a function or station in life to which one is called by God.¨ This was the perspective I was missing.
The station we are called to can be a job, certainly. But there are various other aspects of life where we serve God by serving our neighbor. That is the greatest commandment, right? Love your God with all your heart, and soul, and might. AND love your neighbor as yourself. Well, that basically becomes our job when we are part of the brotherhood and sisterhood of believers.
So when I’m a wife in a marriage, my calling is to love and honor and respect my spouse.
If I’m a parent, my calling is to sacrifice for my kids, love them, teach them, and raise them in the knowledge of Him.
If I’m a teacher, I’m called to serve others as I teach my students and interact with staff.
If I’m in retail, or a doctor, or a therapist, or a farmer, or a designer, or a builder, or a musician... The pattern continues throughout the circumstances and various roles we find ourselves in. As we go about our business, God is using us to serve one another. I love the very related quote from Gustaf Wingren - ¨God doesn’t need our good works, but our neighbor does.¨
All of this dramatically changed my perspective of my new role as stay-at-home mom. As I gradually learned more about how ¨all the vocations are channels of God’s love¨ (Veith 94), I recognized the value and significance my daily life could have. Not because I was daily serving such a large number of people, or because my work was so ground-breaking. Not because I could win awards for keeping my house in order (I couldn’t) or because I did SUCH a great job of loving my husband (I didn’t). But my life was relevant because God had called me to this particular place with these particular people, where He had a job for me to serve them in everyday ways.
My Father’s grace is overwhelming.
He validated my life by dying on the cross to pay the debt of my sin.
He humbled Himself and suffered, because it was the only way for me to be reconciled with Him.
He lovingly poured out His mercy and gifted me with the Holy Spirit who guides and comforts and sanctifies me.
But ALSO
He gave me the gift of purpose.
He gave me the gift of service, where I can be of use to my brothers and sisters as I learn to love and sacrifice. This process of serving my community, of being called to daily love, has completely redefined my life.
No matter how old the new mother, how seasoned the nurse, or how ambitious the entrepreneur… in the order of Christian love we are given purpose and relevance.
We are called to love.
What a gift.
What a gift.
