Losing Your Life

I remember being in college and telling people that I was planning on being a stay at home mom. "What about you? What will you do to find happiness and fulfillment?" they would ask. The question always put me off because it assumes so much. My life is about more than just me. I could do a lot of things, but the most important thing I can do is to nurture the faith of my family.

Well, here is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. Ava needs me, and no matter how much I would like to read a book, watch a movie, or go to bed early, she is more important. And no matter how good it feels to be appreciated, to be lauded for my work, it is much more important to me to give my life to her (and my future kids) and teach them to love Christ.

I was reminded of this when I read a blog post by Carolyn Mahaney. In it, she responds to a woman who asked her what she does for personal fulfillment. She tells the story of a Sunday School teacher she had.

Dorothy was a woman who knew the secret of true “personal fulfillment.” A single mom whose husband left her with a son to raise, Dorothy didn’t spend time worrying about herself. Instead, she was always serving and caring for others. I knew her because she was my Sunday School teacher. And Dorothy was one of the most joyful women I knew.

At my bridal shower everyone wrote down a piece of advice on a slip of paper. I only remember one, and it was Dorothy’s. Her secret to a fulfilled life? “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

It sure is hard to give your life for other people. I know that I don't have the heart of service I should have for my husband, and even for Ava. Christ commands that we give our lives--it certainly applies to me as a wife and mother, but its scope is much greater than that. I am not to live my life for myself, but for Christ and his glory.