“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10, KJV)
When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a chef. I would go into the kitchen and bake all kinds of delicious concoctions for my father. There were a lot of hits and misses, but whatever I made, my father would try it and tell me it was good—even when it wasn’t! After a while, he gave me the nickname “Little Chef, ” which made me happy. Even though I knew some of the dishes I made for him weren’t very good, he was a good sport for trying them anyway.
At that moment, I decided that when I grew up, I would be a chef. So, after high school, I found myself at culinary school in Portland, majoring in baking. I enjoyed it, but something was missing. It wasn’t really what I wanted to do. So, I made a conscious, prayerful decision to leave culinary school and asked God what He wanted me to do. I wasn’t disappointed; I simply felt I needed to go in a different direction. My family was shocked, but I had made up my mind. My heart wasn’t in it anymore.
I went back to college to major in business, took art classes, and thought, Okay, I’m going to be an architect. Then I hit another detour, and things shifted again. I thought, Okay, I’m just going to go to school, pray, and keep asking God what He wants me to do.
I continued to attend college and work, but I still wasn’t certain what God wanted me to do. I was active in my church, helping out in various ministries, including cleaning, hospitality, worship, children, preteens, and many others. I loved being involved and felt that I wanted to be a part of whatever I could.
Then a wonderful man swept me off my feet. We got married, and I had my four beautiful children. I put my education and ministries on the back burner while I cared for my children. I realized my greatest ministry was ministering the gospel to them—planting the seed that they could one day plant themselves when they leave home and become adults.
So, here I am, a mother of four under the age of 12, and I am at a crossroads.
2025 was not the best year for our family; it was hard. We went through a lot, but I realize now that God was creating something special in me.
He was molding me into His image. Even through the pain and the detours, He was creating something in me that would bring Him all the glory.
Then one day, I decided to step back from certain ministries because they had taken a toll on my time with God and my family. Another detour. I felt overwhelmed by everything I had to do.
Then the Lord gave me a revelation: the ministries I was involved in were not going beyond the four walls of the church. I was simply maintaining a position; I wasn’t growing in God the way that I should—or I wanted to.
So, I decided to take a step back. I sat at the feet of Jesus like Mary did and waited on my next assignment. It came at a time I didn’t expect.
I found myself asking, What do you want me to do, God?
And the Lord impressed upon my heart, I made you the keeper of the house. You govern what goes out and what comes in.
I thought, Okay, God, that’s great, but what else do You want me to do?
It was as if God was telling me that He didn’t want me to work outside the home and that I needed to focus on being the keeper of the house. I thought, Well, that’s crazy! I was a substitute teacher for almost two years. Why shouldn’t I work? I wanted to help support our family.
But God supplies all of our needs according to His riches in Glory,
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19, KJV)
What I didn’t know was that God had a special assignment for me.
He began to deal with my heart because I think, as Christians, we can sometimes have blinders on. We care deeply about the salvation of our own families without thinking about the world around us. But that’s not what God wants. He wants us to be disciples. He wants us to go out as Paul did and preach the gospel—not necessarily on a street corner in downtown Portland, but by being the light that this world still desperately needs.
Then an opportunity came into my email inbox. My twin daughter’s middle school was looking for volunteers to help in the music department. Since I had been praise singing at my church for well over ten years, I thought, Hey, why not?
God gave me an opportunity I might have missed if I had been working. That opportunity was to go to the middle school and teach these students how to sing different octave parts.
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10, KJV)
I realized that God had given me an opportunity to be a blessing and a powerful witness.
Our public schools may say they don’t want God, but just because they don’t want God doesn’t mean He can’t send his child to represent Him. Fear cannot hinder us from witnessing to the lost.
Our ministry must go beyond the four walls of the church to reach the brokenhearted.
God has given you gifts to use in your church, but He wants to use those same gifts beyond the church walls. Ask Him to use what He has placed in you to minister at your job, your children’s school, or a local soup kitchen. Look for opportunities to be the light this world needs to see.
They won’t know who Jesus is if we sit still, maintaining our position in the church.
We cannot maintain; we need to grow.
Growth is hard. Growth is painful. But growth brings forth change.
Jesus said:
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16, KJV)
