All of us know that we have a purpose in life. The problem is we may not know what that purpose is or how to walk in it. That was true of me as a stay at home wife and homeschool mom of 3 children!

When the Lord first spoke to my heart, I wasn't in a good place. I was unhappy in what I thought to be a thankless job, feeling underappreciated, and just plain stuck with no place to go. I started to think about 5 lies I had been told about being a stay-at-home wife and mom and I fought not to believe them. They confused me and made me feel like the only way I would matter to my family is to not be with them. Maybe you have heard them too:

"Your marriage will suffer if you don't contribute financially"

“It’s not a real job if you are a stay at home wife and mom”

“You are wasting your time and talent staying home to raise a family”

“You don’t contribute anything to your family if you don’t have a career”

"You will regret staying home"

Recently, I realized that at that time, there was a process that had taken place in my life that changed everything about the way I made decisions, about the way I chose to live, about how I supported my husband and his ministry, and my children! It began with DEFYING THE LIES! Since that time, this process has repeated itself many times, and lends itself to measurable results that I want to see in the way I invest my life into others.

Maybe it started with a question of:

What do I want to be remembered or known for?

As I considered that question I really struggled because there are so many things that matter to me, but as I think about it, I want to be known for being FAITHFUL!

-Faithful to my God

-Faithful to my husband and in my marriage

-Faithful to my children, their spouses and children

-Faithful to my church

-Faithful to my community.

Just like LOVE is a loaded word so is the word FAITHFUL! It means so many things that are good, implying values, principles, and character that benefits others! I don't know if I measure up but I certainly strive for it.

As I recall listening to what the Lord was saying to me about me, my husband, and our children, I had to process it! I realized that:

1 - God had a CALL or a purpose for me!

We each have a call on our lives and have to do something with that call!

2 - We have a DECISION to make as to whether we're going to move in that call or not. Each of us has amazing untapped potential inside of us to use our God-given gifts, talents, and abilities as well as our time for His good purposes, or not. I chose to DEFY THE LIES that I had believed, even if it was only for a moment!

3 - I had to back my decision up with ACTION.

I couldn’t just talk about it - I had to take steps to do it. For me, it wasn’t enough to just do the bare minimum. If I am going to walk this decision out, I had to own everything that would support it. So here is what I did:

>I prayed that God would help me to stay strong and faithful to my decision even when there was conflict or when it was hard.

>I worked to finish strong in each of the commitments I would be stepping away from.

>I adjusted and prioritized daily events and appointments on my schedule to reflect what mattered most to me, to my husband, and to my children.

>I communicated with my husband weekly about things that we both had put in our planner and things that were coming up for our children and family.

>I developed a plan for daily household chores that included time-saving shortcuts.

>I created a color-coded system for the kid’s things to minimize confusion and arguments.

>I became a devoted intercessor for my husband and the lives that he touched on a day by day basis, and our marriage grew stronger.

>I contended for and invested in my children and their faith, I prayed for their friends and their families, the people that they would become, the ones that they would marry, the children they would have, and the lives that they would live as adults.

All in all - answering the call of God has shaped my life to what it is now! It's not perfect but it is peaceful, productive, purposeful, filled with genuine love and gratitude for my husband and children! I can’t think of a better way to spend my life!

The funny thing is that when I made the decision and backed it up with action, the lies no longer had hold on me and the people who spoke them were nowhere to be found!

It wasn’t easy and definitely not for the faint of heart, but truly the most rewarding thing that I have ever done! Even with all of the rough patches, It was a season of my life that leaves me with NO REGRETS!!! I am NOT SORRY for defying the lies! Does it get any better than that?!?!

So tell me, what lies have you believed that have kept you from God’s call on your life?

What has the Lord called you to do?

IT ALL STARTS WITH A DECISION - DEFY THE LIES!

What will you decide?

FOLLOW GOD or GO YOUR OWN WAY

How will you walk that decision out?

ACTION STEPS TO SUPPORT YOUR DECISION