Today’s guest post is from Jill Hart, founder of Christian Work at Home Ministries (CWAHM) and author of the recent release Do Life Different. Today’s post is an excerpt from Do Life Different. Enjoy!
In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered. 2 Chronicles 31:21 NIV
You may have heard of King Hezekiah. His story is pretty amazing. He becomes king at age twenty-five and immediately sets out to restore the land and tear down the idols the Israelites had been worshiping. Hezekiah restores the land to godliness. He restores the priests and asks them to cleanse and purify the temple. He reinstates Passover. More than that, Hezekiah goes to the temple and bows down before God.
A king bowing before the King of Kings. Isn’t that a powerful picture?
King Hezekiah is a beautiful example for us work-at-home moms. He gave himself fully to his work for God. His calling — being King — was his work for God. He did it to the best of his ability, seeking God at every turn. Sometimes we feel as if our calling is inadequate. I longed for many years to be a missionary, thinking of that as the highest calling God could put on a woman’s life. But, during my years as a mom and a business owner, I’ve begun to understand that God almost always calls us to minister in our closest sphere of influence before taking us to the next level. He wants us to impact our families, our churches, and local communities. He wanted King Hezekiah to clean up his own life. Only then could Hezekiah be the example for his kingdom.
No matter what God calls us to do, we can do it to the best of our ability – for God. When I’m intentional with my kids, when I make wise business decisions, when I put another’s needs before my own, I’m serving God. We need to show our faithfulness in the things that seem small. We need to minister in the areas of our lives where there may not be fanfare or recognition, just as we do in the bigger areas God may call us to. What’s your calling? Do you struggle with the misconception only missionaries and pastors work for God?
