This post was originally posted 4 years ago today. Stefanie is now a happy wife and mother to two children!
As a follow up from yesterday’s post, may you be blessed to hear from the heart of my mother’s helper, who has become like part of our family.. .
“So what do you do?”
Or, when I was younger, “What do you plan to do when you finish school?”
Not that there’s anything wrong with the question.
People are simply being friendly, making conversation, getting to know me better. The discomfort comes from the previous experiences I’ve had of my answer causing disappointment, or confusion, and I often feel misunderstood.
My answer to the first question?
Right now my main job is working as a mother’s helper.
To the second question?
All I ever wanted to do was to be a wife and mom. That’s how I was brought up, that’s what my Mom did, what my friends’ mom did… I really didn’t know another way of life.
Then almost three years ago I moved out of my parents’ house. There were a lot of things to work through, and one of them was, learning, “What do I believe, what are my convictions in this area, what does the Lord want me to do, how can I glorify Him?” A lot of prayer, searching the scriptures, and heart conversations with friends went into this question.
Perhaps my situation is unusual, but I now find myself a single woman trying my best with the Lord’s help to live out my calling as a Titus 2 woman. I wish I had some perfect formula or set of directions to share with you on how this works, but I don’t.
What I can tell you is that I’ve learned how dependent I am on the Lord for everything. As I look back and trace His hand in my life over the past years and see the many ways He has provided for me and helped me… I realize how much I have to be thankful for.
I’ve always had a roof over my head, and food to eat.
I have work to do in the safety of a Christian home.
People to love, and people who love me.
A wonderful church, and mercies and grace that are new every morning.
He’s even given me sweet babies to help care for, to love, to pray for…..As I write this I feel ashamed that I can have trouble trusting Him with my future.
I find that so often as a woman I’m told that I can’t be satisfied or fulfilled in raising children or working in the home..that I have just ‘settled’ when I could have had so much more. I should go back to school (please don’t think I’m speaking against studying and learning here), get a job, do more– have more, more, more, more…….
But, I ask you…
What could be more important than bringing up (or in my case helping to bring up) the next generation? Than living according to God’s word, building His kingdom here on earth?
That’s not to say it’s always fun or easy – if I said that you would know I wasn’t being honest with you! But I can say that I am so thankful the Lord has given me the opportunity to do this work for Him and that He does take care of those who follow Him.
There is no shame in following God’s calling!
I love this quote from a favorite book, Stepping Heavenward –
Yet being misunderstood is hard, and when it’s by those we love, can be painful. I know that
from experience. In many ways my own family doesn’t understand the choices I’ve made as I’ve tried to follow the Lord. It’s easy for me to feel vulnerable, lonely, or like I don’t fit in anywhere.
But as I was recently reminded from the pulpit, it’s normal for a Christian to feel like they don’t fit in, …..as it says in Hebrews,
“They were strangers and pilgrims on the earth……But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city,”
There is a place for us, we’ll belong, we’ll be at home. That is such a comfort and encouragement for me to remember!
Before I end this post I do want to say thank you to the people who when they heard my answer to ‘the question’ gave me encouragement. You were, and are, a blessing!
As a single woman who desires to be found in the service of her Lord, Stefanie is daily looking to Him for grace. Stefanie is kept busy in many areas of service for her church and is a special blessing to our family as a mother’s helper in our home. Update: Stefanie is happily married and loves spending her days caring for her husband and two precious children!!
