Being Missional While Being A Mom

I (Stephanie) have recently been reading a book that is completely turning my Christian bubble literally upside down. It is called The Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay. I'm only half way through the book but so far am understanding the main focus to be about being missional (sent out) and incarnational (embody in the flesh). It talks a lot about not waiting for people to come to church but being church (or better said Christ) to them. This is not done through preaching at them but through modeling Christ to them. It's not a thing that can be done overnight, but something that you do by growing in a relationship with them through time all the while showing them Christ. It is based on your actions not your words.

I have to admit this book resounds with my soul on many levels. Tim and I are in a very unique and unfamiliar time in our lives. We both have been surrounded by the church and have been in some form of Christian ministry most if not all our lives. We have been content to live in our Christian bubble and to seclude ourselves from "the world." We have often seen the focus of our ministry be to the people inside the church. We have supported missionaries and been on missions trips ourselves. My way of evangelism has been to invite someone to church in hopes that the pastor would maybe lead them in a prayer or that the music or church program would engage them. I've taken all the responsibility off of myself. Yet within this last year we have both been employed in jobs outside of the church and christian school and are meeting tons of people who have yet to join us on our journey of faith. We completely enjoy the people that we have been working with and our hearts are growing with love towards them. We know that God is calling us to engage them and to be Christ to them.

As I've been looking at actually doing and reorientating myself to think and live this way, I have one obstacle I am going to have to get over. Well more than that, but one that sticks out to me right now as I type is my 18 month old crying, grabbing my leg, and throwing a tantrum on the floor. The last few days I've been thinking a lot of how I can be more like Christ to people and have wonderful ideas, but then I am reminded that I have two toddlers to "help" me. It's hard to carry on a conversation with someone and try to get to know them with spit up, monkeying, screaming, crying, tattling, fighting and mischief happening around your ankles.

This isn't me throwing in the towel to the idea of being missional... it's just going to take a lot more creativity on my part. If anyone has some ideas of how I can hang out with people and my kids at the same time I'm all ears.