How God Called Me Home

Note: This week, I will be sharing stories of my spiritual journey. Feel free to share yours in the comments or in an email. I would love to read them!

I don’t know where your mission field is. It may be a classroom, or a desk in an office or a village in Africa. You may travel for a living, minister as a pastor or evangelist, or do all your work for no monetary reimbursement. I love hearing different stories of how people live out God’s calling on their lives.

Last October, I focused on blending home, work and school during the 31 Days challenge. That is my calling. At least, that is what I’m finding out. God has focused on it little by little, and I can see it looking back at my life so far.

When I first wanted a job in high school, I was 15. A lot of places wouldn’t employ me at that age, so my mom got me a job with her employer. My mom worked from home making phone calls for a charity. A few years later, my piano teacher suggested I begin teaching piano lessons to beginners. By the time I graduated from high school, I was working two jobs from home.

As you know, I graduated from high school and got married 3 weeks later. One of my husband’s requests of me was that I allow him to provide for us. He wanted me to be able to care for our home without the added responsibility of supporting us financially. He didn’t care if I worked as long as we didn’t depend on my income to live and I could quit any time if the Lord blessed us with children.

So, I continued my two jobs at home.

My home responsibilities seemed to triple when the children came. They did not naturally pick up after themselves, and they required food. A lot more preparation than the sandwich I’d been accustomed to grabbing while home by myself. And laundry? Oh my.

Since my phone job required evening work, it cut into our family time quite a bit. My husband asked me sometime after our first was born to quit. God’s call had shifted a bit, and I was now to concentrate more on the home and children side of things.

Other than a little bit of advertising in my early days, I have not advertised that I teach piano for years. It is amazing to me how God sent students when we needed the extra cash flow and I had the time to invest in them and my home responsibilities. And other times, my students would leave for one reason or another and I would have fewer students….just when I need to focus more on my children or home.

Homeschooling was a new challenge. The early years of homeschooling were years that God drastically reduced my student load. Especially when I was homeschooling with babies or toddlers.

A few years ago, after my youngest baby turned two, God sent other opportunities my way. I have never actively sought out jobs. He usually sends them to me. I know that’s not how it always works, but with my driven personality, it is best for me.

One source of work came from a link in an e-mail. I wrote articles for clients as I had time. In the process, I got a few repeat clients that still contact me from time to time if they need a job done.

I started blogging as a hobby, and it is still a hobby at this point. However, through my blog, I met a lady who sent me another e-mail asking for part-time help. When I asked for more information, I got two phone interviews and a part-time job.

Since it was a sales job, I didn’t feel like it was the best use of my limited time. After living the “feast or famine” life of an internet sales person for several months, my husband and I decided that I should quit. My boss was very understanding since she works in the homeschool community and has been a work-at-home mother herself.

At the beginning of this year, the Lord started sending me more students. I never turn any away, but I’m actually at capacity for the time I have available now.

A few months ago, I was still marveling at why he decided to increase my work, when I got a phone call from my former boss. Her first words were, “I’ve been praying, and the Lord keeps bringing you to my mind.” She wanted me to work for her again on an hourly pay basis instead of commission. She is a Christian and we work with a lot of Christian businesses, so it is a great opportunity on several levels.

Every morning, I wake up to my calling. My husband and children are first, but I’m thankful for the home He’s given me to care for, the privilege of educating my own children and the extra income opportunities doing things I love. I have kept faithful to my husband’s first wishes that we not depend on my income. He is still the sole provider. Or I should say, God is our sole Provider!

In the Bible, God calls women to be managers of their homes. We all are unique and manage in different ways. God has called me specifically to be on-site most of the time teaching and training, working and cleaning and cooking, loving my children and seeing my husband off to work. I wrote last year about How We Live in Our Home.

What is your calling? How do you live in your home? I would guess if your children go to school and you go away to work or minister, your home looks a lot cleaner than mine! But that’s the beauty of living in the center of God’s will. No two of our lives will look alike. We can all be at home in the Presence of the Lord. The sweetest place to be.