As a part of the she works HIS way team, I’ve been anticipating the Narrow conference for a full year. We began planning for, praying over and talking about details long before a date was set. Our founder, Michelle, knew that this was a big part of the ministry’s future and we were all on board without hesitation.
The weekend proved to be even more than we could have anticipated. I mean, you fill a room with women who love business, love to learn, and who are aching to serve Jesus well in it all, and you’ll just get to sit back and watch God move. I’m grateful for the images and content that is forever etched in my memory.
Sometimes, God prepares your heart to hear something that you are totally not expecting to hear, and my momma heart is feeling so tender now in the best way.
Mommas and future mommas, Somer Phoebus made this statement in her “Stop Doing List” session on Saturday, and I want you to hear it:
“You don’t have to protect your children from your business.”
She went on to explain that if you feel that God has called you to a job or a business, you have a responsibility to it. Your kids can actually benefit from seeing their momma in action, carefully investing in and protecting her calling.
As she was talking about this, I realized that I could instantly relate. My mom was a teacher at our Christian school growing up. She taught there so that we could attend the school. During the summers, she would bring us to her classroom to help her tear down the old decor and to re-decorate for the new school year.
We spent countless hours with her at the school, helping to arrange books, peel rubber cement glue off of desks, clean cubbies, and organize papers. For some kids, this may sound daunting and miserable, but for us, we felt so much a part of my mom’s job that it was a place that we truly enjoyed going.
She taught us how to serve, to go above and beyond, and that we could be helpful to something that was important to her and to many others she served at the school.
And we never felt left out, neglected, or second best.
The same goes with my Dad. He has been a pilot for a private corporation my entire life. There were work days where he would have to report to the hangar instead of flying. Ever so often, he would take us with him. Our favorite thing was when he would let us climb into the cockpit to grab a piece of our favorite gum that he always had there.
It would have been easier for him to just put us in the conference room to keep us busy with crayons or a movie, but instead he invited us into the space where he spends hours of his week. Flying is his calling and God has used him to share the gospel with many pilots, corporate men, and janitorial staff over the years.
When we allow our children to have a front row seat instead of a back seat view to our calling, knowing that THEY are our #1 priority, we create a healthy environment for them to fall in love with serving Jesus.
Working GOD’S way means investing in our calling, while protecting the priorities that God has given to us.
God, then family, then work.
Somer’s teenage girls actually attended the Narrow conference and served (with big, beautiful smiles, might I add) in any way they were needed. They worked vendor tables. They made coffee runs. They fixed hair. They held crying babies. They served willingly and excitedly as they got to watch their Momma do the same.
She explained that there have been many times where she has had to take a few extra minutes on a phone call with a client while her girls have waited patiently. But, they are always invited into her calling and they know that they are priority over her work, even when she has to work in their presence.
Mommas, can we boldly merge both worlds so that our kids can see how we faithfully serve God and family? Can we protect both commitments?
I think so. It will look different for each of us, but I believe wholeheartedly that we will find more joy in our work and our family when we stop trying to keep them separate.
Thank you, Somer, for the beautiful insight. I’m grateful to carry that with me into my work so that prayerfully, my girls will fall in love with serving God and others as much as I have.
I’m praying this over you today too, sister!
Need more wisdom like this in your life? Join us next year at Narrow by getting your ticket here. But awesome news – there’s no need to wait a full year for inspiration! Go ahead and become a she works His way member, where you’ll get access to new training like this every week.
