Ministry does consume us and become our whole life! I have had to work hard to make sure that there are still some boundries to protect my family. This wasn’t as important when we had our first child, he went everywhere with us and all our youth wanted to hold him and help take care of him. But as we had 2, then 3 and now 4 (it is finished!), it is a lot harder to meet the needs of all the kids as well as all the needs of the people.

Sometimes I have to choose, and in those times, I try to always choose the kids. I never want my kids to grow up and say, “Mom and Dad chose the ministry over us.” Sometimes we have to do that, like on Sunday mornings, but the rest of the time I want them to know they are first. They are our first responsiblilty, if they go to hell, but we save thousands, we have still missed the most important mark.

My husband and I have to remind each other about this all the time. There are seasons that are more busy than others for each of us and during those times, I try to make sure at least one parent is available. Usually that ends up being me, but not always. Then there are seasons of rest, and we try to make the most of that.

Thanks so much for you kind comments on my blog and for this article!
-Anne Milam