It has been a minute, TTGW. Let’s catch up, shall we?

Since my last entry in March, I traveled to California, I got pregnant, experienced all that is pregnancy, celebrated my golden birthday, had my sweet baby girl, and am now settling into mom life. Stay tuned for all that in the next blog post!

As always, with a new year, I choose a word of the year to center my year around. This year, that word is MINISTRY.

Let me explain, as I assume there are some follow-up questions. Am I changing careers and moving into full-time ministry? No. 

Since becoming a mom, there has been a shift in my view of pretty much everything. Firstly, life isn’t about me anymore. Every decision I make or plan, I think about has another person in it. It is a type of sacrificial love I had never truly understood. Everything has become slower; everything outside of my little family is just not as important anymore.

I recently saw a quote that said, “Sorry, I haven’t replied in a while, it’s just that we were never meant to be that accessible.” Since my daughter’s birth, I find my phone is rarely the first thing I look for when I wake up or walk into a room.

However, when we FaceTimed our friends from the hospital room after my daughter was born, multiple people mentioned that they knew I had been in labor because I wasn’t answering my texts. Convince me I’m not chronically online! As humbling as it was to hear that, one friend did remind me that it is also a trait that I am dependable and always available.

Since being home with my baby girl on maternity leave, the quick-paced life I used to crave is in the rearview mirror. There is nothing I love more than my sweet girl falling asleep on me and being stuck on the couch for hours, just holding her.

I found myself at those 2 am feedings in the silence of the night speaking affirmations over my little girl. Speaking life into her instead of staring at a screen. Your home is the first place your children get to encounter faith and the Lord. Motherhood is ministry.

As I go back to work, I remind myself that not only is motherhood a ministry, but so is my career. My mission field is wherever my feet are. Therefore, this year, I will posture my heart to be a place of ministry in every aspect of life. I will work to be present, slow down, listen, and minister with love in any situation.

So, to the girl who is ministering, you have been called higher. I may not know every bible verse or the answer to every question. But I will work to listen with open ears, think before speaking, put my phone down, and enjoy the moment in front of me. This is a year of ministry.