Trading Arm Pit Noises For Estrogen

Today I'd like to introduce you to someone very special to me. If I were Elijah (which I am NOT), she would be Elisha. I had the great privilege of "passing the mantle" of women's ministry leadership into her capable hands.

Stacy is a wife, homeschooling mom to three beautiful (and well-behaved) kids, and a true friend. If you want to get to know her better, you can read some old posts over at her blog, my simple walk. If we're lucky, maybe writing this guest post has gotten her creative juices flowing and she'll start writing for her blog again. ;)

About a year ago I inherited a wonderful women’ s ministry. At the time I didn’t understand what God was doing. Honestly I still don’t get it...even though He continues to tell me with a very bold and loving voice. One of those moments occurred just recently.

I have been a full time volunteer in the children’s ministry for a very long time. I have three children who are there and I whole heartedly support this ministry and for me that means being actively involved in it. I was a leader with our 56er’s group. The grade 5 and 6 kids. It was a great experience, but I can say I questioned my better judgement after the first month. I am a pretty structured person with a fairly small funny bone. Needless to say a table full of 10-12 year old boys was a little challenging for me. I wondered what I had got myself into. As the year progressed, I began to think maybe I should be in the nursery holding babies instead of talking about all the different noises I can make with my arm pit! I wasn’t going to quit and back down though and was trying to decide if I should give it another year.

In the meantime my new role in the women’s ministry was taking form and my mind was spinning. I would be organizing ticket sales in the cafe for a women’s event and headed upstairs to lead a group of kids. At some point, honestly I can’t recall when, I began to ask God to rearrange my day so that He was my priority. I didn’t want my time with Him to be another task on my list, and I didn’t want to feel like He was always sitting in my living room on the couch waiting for me, all the while I was busy “doing” things.

As the year came to an end, I was called in by the children’s coordinator. She told me that she felt like I needed a break from children’s ministry and since I wouldn’t give myself one....well she would do it for me. She said that God called me to lead the women and I can’t do that while trying to pull my thoughts and heart in three different directions. I was in awe. Little did she know that I had been praying for the Lord to rearrange my day, but thank goodness for her obedient and willing spirit.

On the way home that day the song Oh How He Loves came on. I was in tears.... and belting out this song American Idol style as I drove home. God was telling me that He loves me so much, he was taking a burden away from me that He knew I couldn’t do myself. He also once again told me that he placed me in leadership over the women of my church. He loves me and he wants to teach me. He is gentle with me when I refuse to get the message, and wants to wrap me up in his love.

If you have never heard that song before....you need to. It is one of the greatest ways I think God has chosen to tell us how much he loves us. Thank goodness for obedient hearts and a God who loves us like a hurricane and keeps us tucked safely away in the eye of it...most of the time.

Thanks Tyler for the chance to share that moment with God.

Stacy, thank-you for sharing the way God has been speaking to you. If I could pick one thing that resonated with me, it was this:

I began to ask God to rearrange my day so that He was my priority. I didn’t want my time with Him to be another task on my list, and I didn’t want to feel like He was always sitting in my living room on the couch waiting for me, all the while I was busy “doing” things.

My heart, too, longs for relationship with my Jesus to be deeper and more meaningful than simply another task I cross of my list.