Pink, Pearls and Chocolate

I remember that day my junior year of high school like it was yesterday.  The Lord had told me that He wanted me to serve in ministry.  I had no idea what that looked like.  I remember sitting in an office with my Pastor and his wife and asking them.  The calling was clear and that was to serve in Girls and Women’s Ministry.  The details, I had no clue.  I remember thinking I had two options, to marry a pastor and serve that way or to somehow become Beth Moore overnight.  You laugh now, but on that day that was my view of Women’s Ministry.  I knew with 115% confidence that those two options were not what the Lord was telling me.  I would not have minded getting Beth Moore’s hair overnight.  Her hair is a force to be reckoned with.  It always looks flawless. 

It was during those next few months that I would decide to go to Oklahoma Baptist University and somehow begin the process of preparing for ministry.  That is easily one of the top five best decisions I have made in my life. During those four years at OBU, I was able to serve a few different ways in women’s ministry.   Some of them were true women’s ministry positions and some of them were not labeled as women’s ministry but they were.  

The last two years at OBU brought about some incredible opportunities and internships for me.  I served as an intern at the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma in their Women’s Office.  Interning there allowed me to see ministry through the lens of serving the ladies of Oklahoma by equipping them to do ministry within their churches.  It was beautiful.  I was also able to serve at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas and Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma as the Women’s Ministry Intern.    These two churches allowed me to see how ministry happened within their own local church.  

All three internships taught me different things and allowed me to see different events and different ways of doing ministry.  I think many of us think that women’s ministry has to be pink and frilly.  That is not true.  Are some events more girly than others?  Of course.  I think there are times when we need that.  We need those late night talks with our girlfriends that are filled with chocolate and laughter.  I believe fully that what we need as women most is to be women who love the Lord and seek to follow Him in all we do.

It has been over ten years since that calling was placed on my life and that calling plays out much differently now.  Back then I tried to dictate what those details would be, I tried to understand exactly what the call to Women’s Ministry meant.  Today, that call for me is to serve in my local church.  It looks like a small group of teenagers who are at a pivotal time in their life and just need someone to walk beside them.  I love that I can have some of those precious middle school girls in my home and to spend time with them.  They are funny, they are sweet, and they are watching. 

It is time for me to grab a piece of chocolate and see what the next ten years or so of ministry look like.  It may not be perfect, but right now it is beautiful chaos.  The detail person in me struggles with that but the good thing is I know that it is supposed to be like that.  I do not need to know all of the details right now.  I need to remain faithful to what I have been called to do right now.