It has been a year since I started working full time out of
the home. Getting a job outside of the
home was one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. Being a stay at home mom was all I had ever
known; and to be honest with you – it was all that I thought I would ever
know. I had never really envisioned
myself working outside the home. When
God opened up a spot for Zak in a special needs Christian school Rob and I
began talking about me getting a job outside the home. The thought of me being gone from the house
all day terrified me; I couldn’t see how everything would get done if I was
gone eight hours each day.
This year has been filled with lots of learning curves; but
it has been an exciting year as I have done something I have never done
before. Here are some things that I have learned this
first year of being a working mom:
*I LOVE my job.
I had no idea how much I would enjoy going to work and
interacting and engaging with other people.
I love going to work and seeing my coworkers. I love being part of the team where I
work. I love the challenges that I have
at work that are different than I had at home; and I love getting a paycheck
for the work I am doing. I never
imagined that I would love working outside the home as much as I do.
*Being a SAHM
prepared me for being a FTWM
More than once in this past year I have found myself amazed
at how things I did as a stay at home prepared me for working outside the
home. Time management, laundry
organization, planning school work – all of that equipped me with the knowledge
I needed to do a lot of the tasks I have been given this past year.
*Teamwork Matters
Whether I like to admit it or not, more than once I have
played the martyr when it came to my roll as a SAHM. Sometimes it was the laundry, meal planning
or just housework – but there were a lot of times I just felt like I could not
get it all done. However, I was
reluctant to accept help or accepted it with guilt because the affairs of the
house were my “job” and when I wasn’t able to get them all done I felt like I
was failing. This year I have learned
(at it took a while for me to get this one) that my husband and I are a
team. He helps me when I have a lot on
my plate – just like I try to help him when he has a lot on his. It just makes for a happier home when
everyone is working as a team; but that leads to another lesson I have had to
learn:
*It doesn’t have to
be done my way
Ouch! This one has
hurt. Sometimes the reason I didn’t
want the help was because I wanted things done exactly how I wanted it. While order and details are important
sometimes it is just better to allow others to do it their way for the sake of
getting it done. By far this was the
hardest lesson for me – but the one that has brought the most peace to our
everyday life.
*I love Family Time
When I was a SAHM and homeschooling I was with my kids all
the time. Don’t get me wrong – I am
thankful that I was able to be home and spend so much time with my kids while
they were growing. I consider it a huge
blessing. This year my time has been
divided with home and work; and I have found that when I am home with my family
I really focus on them and enjoy being home.
I value it more than I did as a SAHM.
I also have found myself doing away with distractions when I am at home
in the evenings and on weekends. I want
to be 100% there with them when I am there with them.
*If Your Mindset is Wrong
– Change
Another ouch. In the
stay at home mom world and the homeschooling world there can be on overarching
mindset that working outside the home is WRONG. The hardest part about me working outside the
home was having to evaluate if I believed that it was wrong for me to be
employed outside of the home. As I prayed about it and evaluated it I had
accept that some philosophies that I had accepted through the years were not completely
biblical. The Bible clearly teaches that
the first roll of the wife is to care and oversee for the needs of her
household. That has been and always will
be my first and highest calling. It is
not my only calling. Once I evaluated
this and humbled myself to what the scripture teaches (and not what other people’s
opinions were) there was such freedom to fully embrace this next chapter of our
lives.
What a year it has been!
Overall I have learned that a Mom does what needs to be done to meet the
needs for her family and her children.
Zak has thrived in his new school; and Anna has blossomed at hers. I have enjoyed watching God unfold His plan
for us in this new adventure. It’s neat
to know that my time as a SAHM was part of God’s plan for my life and for my
children and that this new chapter of our lives is a part of God’s plan for us
and for our children’s future. How
blessed I have been to have been able to experience both!
I trust that you are content and thriving at the place God
has you in your time of life right now; and know that God is always growing us
and preparing us for what is coming up ahead.
No stage of life last forever.
Take in all God has for you now – and be ever learning for what He has
for you in the future.
Thanks for stopping by.
I’m so glad you did!
Blessings,
~Martie
~Martie
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