But it also means a long day - 8am to 5pm. Away from our house. Prepping the day before. And re-coopering the day after wards. It means we have less time and energy to hang out with family and enjoy our wonderful college student son who is home for the holidays.
Our home life and work life is always intertwined, actually more like a messy ball of yarn that you give up trying to untangle. We end up answering urgent e-mails on our day off and driving the 45 minute drive back to church on a Sunday night to meet someone who calls needing to talk. And I find myself wishing at times....like this Christmas season...that our ministry didn't engulf our personal and home life so much. That we could clock out with our time card and close the office door, knowing the job was done and nothing more was expected from us until the weekend was over. I wonder what it would be like to just be "normal" and show up, sit in the back row for a 1 hour Christmas morning service and then go home with left over enthusiasm to our baking turkey and unopened presents.
As you can see, God has some work to do on this selfish heart of mine. He is growing me to be willing to give when I want to take. To trust Him, day by day and hour by hour, for the grace and goodness I need from Him to be give to those I minister to each day; whether I am ministering to those at church or to those in my home. This season I want to choose joy in this missionary journey. Not resentment or grumblings. I want my heart and my home to be open. Open to those He has called me to love and open to His love that fills me up so I can pour it out on others.
