The Ministry of Mac and Cheese

When I was little I wanted to be a lawyer, a writer, a bus driver, or a back-up dancer for Tina Turner. None of those panned out.

Well, as I got older and began to grow in my faith I had a new dream: to lead women's conferences and speak God's Word to thousands of women. Then I became a Mom and decided that instead I just needed to ATTEND like a thousand conferences and figure out what the heck I was doing.

Well, throughout all my years of dreams (diverse and a little crazy as they might be) there was one constant. I wanted to be a Mom. And not just any Mom. I wanted to be the Mom that all the neighborhood kids wanted to be at my house eating home baked cookies and playing in the backyard. Seems that one of my dreams may be coming true. Our new neighborhood is FULL of kids and they all have felt very welcome to frequent our backyard. In fact, we had my family over for supper the other night and while we sat at the table we watched as 4 or 5 kids we didn't know came in and out of the yard. There were also a couple I had already met. One in particular had shared a picnic lunch with my kids a few days earlier and I learned that he really likes macaroni and cheese. He was positively devastated when I ran out and I told Josh that we would have to keep the pantry stocked from then on. I haven't met his Mom and I'm not trying to pass judgement, but we were told by some of the church members before we came here that many of the kids in this neighborhood come for church on Wednesday night because it is the only hot meal they get other than at school. That makes me sad.

Well, today has been the laziest day I've had in awhile. I started feeling sick a couple of days ago and by today I was at the point of staying in my pj's and praying for my kids to entertain themselves. Josh got a movie for the kids and one for us and we were watching the kid's movie when there was a knock at the door. It was two of the neighborhood boys and Sarah was quick to tell them we were having pizza for supper and they were quick to say they could stay to eat with us. :) It was a frozen pizza in the oven and I wasn't sure if it would be enough for everybody so I threw on a huge pot of mac and cheese. It was a hit. One of the boys commented, "I wanna eat here every night!" For a second my heart did a dip and I thought, "Oh my gosh, they're like the neighborhood dog that Josh fed and then couldn't figure out why we couldn't get him to leave". Then I grinned. The idea that a frozen pizza and some mac and cheese could bring such happiness was a nice one.

As I sat at the table chewing my pizza God began to work in my heart. To show me that this is what He has asked of me right now. You see, with the move I had begun to ask Him to show me where He would have me to serve, what He would have me to do here. In our church and our community. Old dreams of writing and speaking and other things began to take center stage in my mind, but I knew God was telling me that this is my season in my home. Those kids didn't come because me and Josh are cool. They came because of my own children. The season of life when neighborhood boys stop by for mac and cheese is now and it is obvious that some adult attention is very needed in their lives. It is tempting to decide that I don't have time for them. I have my own kids. It is tempting to want to become involved in a more high profile kind of ministry. It's even more tempting to want to find someone else to pawn my own kids off on and sit on the couch and watch a CSI marathon. But right now it is overwhelming my heart that when I prayed for God to show me what to do, He brought opportunity to my door (literally) in two dirty, barefoot boys who like mac and cheese.

I don't know what God has asked of you, but I pray tonight that we wouldn't let the enemy convince us it's not as important as what someone else is doing. I pray that we will be sensitive to exactly where He would have us be and realize that He can do what He pleases, where He pleases, with whom He pleases. As my heart began to ponder bigger, greater things, I discovered that God can do great things in my kitchen. His love is wherever His people are and some times all it takes is a little mac and cheese.