Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Family or Ministry?
Visit me at my new website - anniecrawford.com
I received the following excerpts from emails today.
"Look beyond your home to the broader
community. Realize that God has more for you to do
in life than just focus on your own children.
Understand that, while raising your children is an
important ministry, it's just a part of how God
wants you to use your talents to contribute to the
world. The "cult of the family" often pressures
mothers to focus all their energies on their own
families. But the Bible encourages all people - no
matter what their circumstances in life - to bring
God's love into the wider community around them.
Ask God how He would like you to serve Him in
specific ways that don't relate to parenting. Then
make time on a regular basis to do so. Make
following the call of the gospel your top
priority, rather than automatically doing only
what's best for your own family. Be willing to put
God first in your life - and your family second.
Let your children see that they are part of
something bigger than your family; let them see
your faith in action as you follow where God
leads."
In response: "Thank you for sharing this with us but I have to tell you, I think some of what she says is way off. She has one foot in the world and one foot in the Bible. You cannot straddle them. You eventually must choose who you will follow. The lies of man or the truth of God. To say that we should place our families second to outside ministries is also a contradiction of
Biblical teachings. Yes, we are to put God first. Does God have us do things that contradict His Holy teachings in the Bible? No! To say that outside ministries are more important than our families is a lie that is promulgated by those that have been deceived or who wish to ignore God's truth and justify their rebellion."
Quite a controversial topic, eh? Here is my response:
I think it is a bit of a 2 dimensional way of looking at life and motherhood to say God comes first and children second and ministry third, or ministry second, family thrid...etc. Christ is all consuming and everything in my life is bound up in Him, He is my supreme and my all. All the "rest" of my life or other parts are rooted in Him and gain life from Him - children, marriage,
ministry, gardening, cooking, whatever! I think we cause ourselvs undo stress and confusion when we try to compartmentalize our lives too much. Jesus is my one and only priority, I look to Him. And however, He usually and frequently tells me that He has given me children as
the bulk of my life right now and I have this incredible, daunting task of being their primary example of Christ in their lives! Wow - so focusing on Christ alone places my children way up their in time and dedication because of the responsibility to His name.
I think of an example I heard where a church wanted to quit supporting a missionary family because they wouldn't wuit having children. Like children and missions are so seperate that they can't be done effectively. However, how we raise our children is part of our mission to the world. Who my children are is part of our mission to the world. In other countries what I have seen is that they don't reate well to women missionaries without children. - What's wrong with her? Why doesn't she want kids? This Chirst person must be strange to make her not want kids!
So in essence, when we think of children verses ministry we create a dichotomy that isn't there. When we think of Chirst alone as supreme in our lives, he brings all things together, for He is over all things and all things are through and from Him. Praise Him for the free life He brings! We do not have to try to interpret and follow the law! That is the freedom of Christ we have as we live by the spirit, not by the law. When I make rules "family first, ministry second, job third, house fourth, etc..." for myself, I am resurrecting the law which has no power for me. I seek Christ, King of Kings and Lord over all the miracle of worshiping a God who is True is that He meets you, responds to you, and amazingly leads you. He makes your path straight. When He fills me, his life pours out all over those around me, my children, my husband, my community.
But in many ways we'd rather someone tell us what to do, how to do it, and what steps to take wouldn't we?
"Look beyond your home to the broader
community. Realize that God has more for you to do
in life than just focus on your own children.
Understand that, while raising your children is an
important ministry, it's just a part of how God
wants you to use your talents to contribute to the
world. The "cult of the family" often pressures
mothers to focus all their energies on their own
families. But the Bible encourages all people - no
matter what their circumstances in life - to bring
God's love into the wider community around them.
Ask God how He would like you to serve Him in
specific ways that don't relate to parenting. Then
make time on a regular basis to do so. Make
following the call of the gospel your top
priority, rather than automatically doing only
what's best for your own family. Be willing to put
God first in your life - and your family second.
Let your children see that they are part of
something bigger than your family; let them see
your faith in action as you follow where God
leads."
In response: "Thank you for sharing this with us but I have to tell you, I think some of what she says is way off. She has one foot in the world and one foot in the Bible. You cannot straddle them. You eventually must choose who you will follow. The lies of man or the truth of God. To say that we should place our families second to outside ministries is also a contradiction of
Biblical teachings. Yes, we are to put God first. Does God have us do things that contradict His Holy teachings in the Bible? No! To say that outside ministries are more important than our families is a lie that is promulgated by those that have been deceived or who wish to ignore God's truth and justify their rebellion."
Quite a controversial topic, eh? Here is my response:
I think it is a bit of a 2 dimensional way of looking at life and motherhood to say God comes first and children second and ministry third, or ministry second, family thrid...etc. Christ is all consuming and everything in my life is bound up in Him, He is my supreme and my all. All the "rest" of my life or other parts are rooted in Him and gain life from Him - children, marriage,
ministry, gardening, cooking, whatever! I think we cause ourselvs undo stress and confusion when we try to compartmentalize our lives too much. Jesus is my one and only priority, I look to Him. And however, He usually and frequently tells me that He has given me children as
the bulk of my life right now and I have this incredible, daunting task of being their primary example of Christ in their lives! Wow - so focusing on Christ alone places my children way up their in time and dedication because of the responsibility to His name.
I think of an example I heard where a church wanted to quit supporting a missionary family because they wouldn't wuit having children. Like children and missions are so seperate that they can't be done effectively. However, how we raise our children is part of our mission to the world. Who my children are is part of our mission to the world. In other countries what I have seen is that they don't reate well to women missionaries without children. - What's wrong with her? Why doesn't she want kids? This Chirst person must be strange to make her not want kids!
So in essence, when we think of children verses ministry we create a dichotomy that isn't there. When we think of Chirst alone as supreme in our lives, he brings all things together, for He is over all things and all things are through and from Him. Praise Him for the free life He brings! We do not have to try to interpret and follow the law! That is the freedom of Christ we have as we live by the spirit, not by the law. When I make rules "family first, ministry second, job third, house fourth, etc..." for myself, I am resurrecting the law which has no power for me. I seek Christ, King of Kings and Lord over all the miracle of worshiping a God who is True is that He meets you, responds to you, and amazingly leads you. He makes your path straight. When He fills me, his life pours out all over those around me, my children, my husband, my community.
But in many ways we'd rather someone tell us what to do, how to do it, and what steps to take wouldn't we?
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