I don’t know about you, but I know as the holiday season starts to round the corner, so does my excitement, and truthfully, my anxiety! As a mom of 4, a pastor’s wife, and a full-time counselor, all of the expectations and plans can start to pile up.
Grace in Every Season
I looked around my house the other day, thinking about the changes of the seasons, and there in front of me were my Christmas bows on my island light fixtures from Christmas!
I had decided to give myself grace in January and told myself, “Hey! Those will be cute up for Valentine’s Day. It will be fine. Keep them up.” And now, here it is, August, almost September… and my Christmas bows are still up.
I’m the kind of mom who likes to change the house with the season. It helps create a feeling of excitement and anticipation. I have challenged myself to put the same effort into my house as I would into my office at work and the decorations at church.
Teaching Stewardship at Home
My children will be directly affected by the effort I make. I don’t want to be the mom who made goodie bags for my students but not for my very own children.
That said, I don’t always get it right, and at times, my roles suffer from lack of time, fatigue, and even burnout.
Something I am teaching my children in terms of their expectations of me on special days is that I will try to do it all, but our budget will determine what is purchased. We have a rule of thumb we go by as a family of 6. When we eat out, if you want a meal, you get water. If you want a special drink and you are not that hungry, get the drink and wait to eat when you get home. Some of my kiddos really let me know what they think about that. Especially when they want a meal AND a lemonade!
Balancing Birthdays and Budgets
We have a ton of birthdays in the fall. Three out of four of my children, in addition to both my dad and me. The rule of thumb we follow is this: We have a budget. Decide where you want to see the money. If a child chooses a birthday that costs $300 to have the party/rent the space, then that’s ok, but that will be their present; nothing will be wrapped and presented from mom and dad. They know not to expect a huge party and a Wishlist of presents. It is one or the other. If they choose a more modest party, then they can expect to see some things off their Wishlist. But please don’t expect both.
This initiated quite the dialogue with my oldest. He will research different locations, find out their party package, and present it to me. On his own this year, he said, “You know what? It’s so much money to just rent a place! Let’s go XWZ instead because it’s cheaper, and then I can get something off my Wishlist.”
I loved seeing the thinking and watching him learn the process of becoming a good steward with money and our resources, and because this takes place in multiple places in his life, it is becoming easier for him to understand the concept.
Now, as the holiday peeks around the corner, my children know what to expect. If they want to have a costly experience, then they know their gifts will be less, and vice versa. Of course, they understand the reason for the season, and that is taught as well, but they are kids… and they love getting presents.
Stewardship in Ministry
I find that I use this same concept at church. We will always count the cost before making huge wishful decisions, and because this has been our habit, it is becoming known.
Every year we put on a huge Fall Festival where we invite the community to come out and enjoy the evening with us. We invite vendors to come, and we set up booths, and it’s an annual night the community has grown to love and look forward to.
When we are not thoughtful of the point of the event, which is to reach the community and grow our presence, the ideas and the cost can get out of hand. We set a budget, and we donate our time. Anything outside of that must be given.
Modeling Stewardship in Everyday Life
God has called us to be stewards of our time and our money. Not only is it important to teach it to our children, but to model this way of thinking to anyone who is in our life. Our lives speak so much more than our words. When we demonstrate a care for the things God has given us, He trusts us with that much more.
Author’s Biography
Christina Brown is a busy mom of 4 who lives on 5 acres in the country surrounded by chickens. Not only does she have her hands full at work, but she works full time as a School Counselor. She and her veteran husband, John Brown, pastor New Life Apostolic Church in Texas. Balancing life, work, and church is a constant struggle and something she is willing to be fully transparent about.
Excellent message Sis Christina!