Finding My Sweet Spot

I have been wondering what my "sweet spot" is and how do I find it? Does one's "sweet spot" have to do with one's personality, ministry gifts, or profession or combination of the three?

Our church is going through a time of transition and one of the transitions that is going to be made is helping the members of the family of God find their area of passion/giftedness and plugging them into it (sweet spot). A baseball bat or golf club has a "sweet spot," the area where the ball makes the correct contact causing it to soar far with not a lot of frustration or effort. It is the same with the family of God and the areas of service and ministry. If a child of God is in their "sweet spot", a lot of ministry will be accomplished without much frustration or effort.

The search for my "sweet spot" began about one year ago. This is when I realized that Abby, our youngest daughter, was moving out of the preschool years and would be attending school all day in the fall. What would then be my role? I have been blessed to be a full time stay-at-home mom/homemaker for the past eight years. My daughters would no longer be in need of my physical presence during the day. Enter into the mix a need to alleviate some of the financial pressures on our family. How was my role as full time wife and mother going to change? A wise woman at church commented that my role should not be defined in simply being a wife or mother, but being a dearly loved daughter of God. Our value does not come from what we "do" but from whose we are. This was and is reassuring, but I still wanted to find my "sweet spot."

The door opened for me to sub earlier this spring. This was a great way to earn a little extra income for the family, but still be available to Eric and the girls when they were home. I cannot say this is something that made me say, "Oh yeah, I get to sub today." So I am not sure if this is my "sweet spot." But in a way, maybe it is. I will tie the previous statement back in :)

Eric made a comment this past Sunday at lunch when we had a young couple over who he is doing some premarital counseling with. The comment had something to do with how I enjoyed cooking. This sparked something within me. Maybe my "sweet spot" is cooking, but not only cooking but everything that has do with the home. I love being a homemaker and caring for and meeting the needs of my husband and daughters. I love making our home, not a castle, but a sanctuary. And finding ways to do this creatively on one income. I love the dynamics of family life and the relationships within. So my willingness to sub this past year was a way to honor my relationship with my husband. Subbing may not have been my "sweet spot" per se, but serving my husband, family, and home is. And subbing was a way to serve my family by earning a little extra income, as will serving as the mission's secretary at church in the coming months.

It has taken me a year to come to this point :) It takes me a while to process things. It is interesting that I would start my blog with such a self-reflective entry since I detest self-reflection.

I am looking forward (and maybe a little scarred) to how God is going to use me in the future to serve in my "sweet spot" outside the home; helping newly married wives love and respect their husbands and set-up a home, helping young mothers love their children and see the positive impact they can have on their children, enhancing friendships over a nice cup of tea.

Let me know when I can have cup of tea with thee :)

My First Blog

Good morning,

This is the last week of school so I thought I would take a free moment to begin the Flood Family Blog. My friend, Alysa, recently began a blog this past year. I have so enjoyed reading about and catching up on the everyday happenings of her life. I do not keep a journal so I thought this would be a great way to record the events, funny sayings, and milestones of my family and I invite you to join me on this adventure.

Love,
Becky