I particularly liked Marybeth’s counsel on keeping priorities in place:

        “While ministry is a calling from God and an excellent way to use our gifts and talents, it is not meant to take away from the needs of our family. We must remember that discipline our children and meeting our husband’s needs is of the utmost importance to God. We can’t afford to make the mistake of getting our priorities out of order. A decision to neglect our responsibilities will most certainly have eternal ramifications.”

        I also liked the piece by Karen Ehman, a home school mom who had been active in drama, writing and speaking prior to the birth of her first child. Having a colicky baby put an abrupt halt to these ministries. Here is an excerpt from her chapter:

        “My days were spent wiping and rocking; cooking and cleaning. Even though I loved my family, I also quietly resented them, feeling that my life as an at-home mom was keeping me from my dreams. Finally I came to a point of willful surrender. Deciding that it was the only option, I told God I’d be content to be knows as a “Mrs.” and a “mom” but He would need to take away my desire to perform, speak and write. Just as He often does, God whispered a plan to my heart that I had not though of. He nudged me to begin using my talents to bless my family instead of to make my name known. I was convicted of my wrong motives and purposed in my heart that I would use my gifts to love and serve my family first (and perhaps only). What happened next was nothing short of miraculous for this otter-personality-type, stage-loving gal. I became content to sing lullabies and silly songs with my children as my only audience. I began to use my imaginative mind and love for drama to act out exciting Bible stories or to invent different voices for the characters in the books we read aloud at bedtime. I threw myself into writing love letters to my husband, clever poems for my kids and simple musings to myself. I honestly felt that outside ministry opportunities would never come my way and I was surprisingly OK with that!”

        Later on, the door divinely opened for Karen to take over publishing A Mother’s Mission Newsletter, which a friend had started. She continued this for five years. Eventually, she designed the Hearts at Home Mom’s Planner, co-authored the books Homespun Gifts from the Heart and Homespun Memories for the Heart, and spoke on many national radio programs, including Focus on the Family. This reminds me so much of Edith Schaeffer’s counsel (in her book The Hidden Art of Homemaking) to let our gifts bloom at home, and then see what God does with that growth outside of the home!

        I’ve been writing and publishing for many years. I try hard to keep a balance between that and effectively caring for my family. It’s not easy. I have often edited my books and articles while sitting on a child‘s floor until they fell asleep for naps. Or I’ve gotten up early or stayed up late -- not always a good idea! Or I would write and rewrite mentally while doing housework or running errands -- and then sit down at the computer and type as fast as I could!   I have to learn to focus on the core message as I write. My mind raced down a dozen different bunny trails as I thought of what to say in my main article in this issue. I actually wrote far more than I should have, and then deleted most of it because it was far too ponderous. That’s a picture of my life. I have to prune it down, and not try to go in so many directions. That’s why I don’t spend much time at all marketing my books. I just let the orders trickle in as they may. Being a full-fledged business woman is not on my agenda in this season of life!

You can purchase Marybeth’s book for $17.99 plus shipping from Proverbs 31 Ministries at: http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/resourceBooks.htm

Check out Marybeth’s own web site at: http://www.marybethwhalen.com/