Serving Behind the Scenes

For the last eight years I’ve been in love with Japan.  Besides the fact that it’s a beautiful and clean country with amazing food; it’s the people there that really won my heart.  I got to accompany Ricardo there on our church singers’ first trip.  He’s been one more time since and is there right now ministering on the northern most island.  Besides holding down the fort with all four kids all on my own, the hardest part of having him gone is wishing I could be there with him.  Every picture someone posts from the trip on Facebook makes me long to be there.   

I was having a tough moment yesterday.  M. was mouthing off to me.  I had just earlier cleaned up peed upon bed sheets.  I was in a typical regular daily monotony while my hubs was off in my favorite foreign nation doing exactly what I wish I was.  Just then I got a Facebook message from my friend who just happens to be Japanese herself.  She told me she was praying for me and reminded me that part of the work God was doing in the hearts of the people at this outreach was behind the scenes and included people like me, who were holding things down at home.  What an encouragement that was to me. 

As moms we sometimes fail to see the opportunities we have to serve God by being at home.  I wish I was in Japan so badly, but God needed me here this time.  Sometimes serving Him is boring, tedious, and thoroughly un-exciting.  But it is no less important.