Christian Working Mom Interview for
September
Announcements
Blog Comments
Interview
Announcements
I am so pleasantly surprised by the
response to the Online Bible Study. You all really
want to dig into God’s Word. We have over 26
women who have signed up so far. Unfortunately, sometimes
email goes to my overactive Spam folder. So, if I
did not respond to your email forgive me. Here is
the link for the online Bible Study, http://kimberlychastain.com/discussCWMU.
You can go there to read the Bible Study and then
post your answers to the forum. Also, it would be
great if we make comments to one another. This is
an experiment and we will see if we need to change
from time to time. My plan is to put up a new lesson
every two to three weeks. I hope to have Lesson 2
up next week. So, please come join us.
Blog Comments
Recent posts on the Blog have been about
what you enjoy doing most with your children and favorite
Bible verses. As always you can post your own comments
and start new discussions. To visit the blog go to
http://kimberlychastain.com/my-journal.
Interview
This month’s interview is with
a woman who I have worked with on various projects.
I have always thought we can learn from women who
have walked before us. So, enjoy the interview.
Beth’s ages as she describes it
is I can’t remember, but I do remember the day
Elvis died. Beth lives in the United States and has
two daughters in college, and a son who just graduated
from college. Beth is the Care Ministry Coordinator
of a large church in South Carolina.
She states the following joys of being
a CWM:
*The Christian part is the coolest-
knowing that no matter what, the ending is going to
be awesome.
*The working part for me is fascinating.
Most days in Pastoral Care ministry
are filled with enormous ups and downs. In the course
of a Monday morning, the Care Staff might minister
to a family whose home burned down, talk with a single
mom whose car just got smashed by a tree, and 20 minutes
later hear about the birth of a family’s first
baby!
Serving in this often chaotic area of
ministry has shown me that apart from God, we really
can do nothing- but with His wisdom and strength,
we can approach each divine appointment with confidence.
I’m also a giant fan of seeking wisdom from
people who are smarter than I am- especially co-workers
and professionals like Kimberly! (Editor’s note,
I did not pay her to say that!!)
*The mom part has to be the most amazing
ride of my life, especially seeing kids grow from
little people crawling all over your feet, to grown
college students crawling all over your heart! I was
a teacher for two years, a flight attendant for 25
years, and now serve in pastoral care ministry. I
will honestly say that being a wife and mom has been
the role that matters most and has brought the most
joy.
I thank God for my mom, and the legacy
of joy she left her 5 kids and 11 grandkids. “Beazy”
always seemed to focus on the good stuff, encourage
our strengths, and to find humor in everything!
Beth shares the following struggles
of being a Christian Working Mom:
The main struggle for me when the kids
were little and especially during their teen years
was balance. The world seems to whisper that we’re
big losers if our kids don’t play football,
soccer, t- ball and the saxophone; while their mom
trains for a triathlon, works full-time, and meets
her husband at the door in pink lingerie!
If I could rewind the tape, I think
our family would try to “be” a lot more
and to “do” a lot less. It’s okay
to say no to psychotic over-scheduling.
Beth’s Favorite Bible Verse:
Romans 8:28 What I’ve seen through
losing several close family members, is that God can
take even the most painful parts of our lives, and
bring about incredible goodness as He works things
together for His purposes.
Beth shares that God is teaching her
the following:
He is teaching me the importance of
keeping our marriage strong, as we
transition from life with kids at home, to the quietness
of life after moving
our youngest to college – out of state! While
we miss her and the other two a lot, God is showing
me what an incredible gift it is to have a husband
who loves the Lord, and loves his wife and kids. God
has also shown me in recent weeks that He will never
leave those precious ones we have sent out- and that
He hasn’t forgotten about their crazy old parents
either!
Beth offers the following words of Encouragement for
other Christian Working Moms:
God has enormous mercy on parents! In
spite of our mess ups,
He can mold our kids into some really awesome individuals
who love Him with all their hearts. What more could
we ask?!
I would encourage moms to keep your priorities in
order:
1) Your relationship with God- daily time seeking
Him.
2) Your relationship with your husband,
3) Your relationship with the kids and extended family,
4) Then, Everything else- like work, church &
stuff like that.
Beth also has two important points to
share:
My mom’s cross stitch for new moms:
“Cleaning and scrubbing can wait
till tomorrow,
for babies grow up, we’ve learned to our sorrow.
So quiet down cob webs,
Dust, go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby; and babies don’t
keep.”
Beth’s famous quote:
“Cleaning up the house before your kids leave
for college is like stringing pearls with no knot
on the end of the string.”
Beth thanks for sharing your wisdom.
I especially needed to be reminded that our children
do not need to be in every activity. I also I love
your quote about cleaning up the house. How true.
Thanks for letting us know that are children will
grow up and leave someday and that God is working
in their lives, in spite of our failures.
Till next time,
Kimberly M. Chastain, MS, LMFT
Kimberly M. Chastain, MS, LMFT is the Christian Working
Mom Coach and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
She is the author of 2 ebooks and an online Bible
study. You can find more information at www.christianworkingmom.com.
For a free, initial coaching session send an email
to free@kimberlychastain.com.
