The Lord has blessed me beyond measure. I am privileged to wear many hats, each with its own unique beauty and challenges. All of the hats I wear involve people. Oh, each area has paperwork, lists, and many mundane tasks and deadlines. But amidst all this, the most crucial element of each area of service is the relationship involved, and it brings me immense joy.

My husband needs me to keep the house manageable and ensure we both have clean laundry. He keeps the yards and helps around the house, but we both keep a list of our responsibilities. As you know, running a home involves a lot of paperwork, too. We spend a lot of time discussing problems and ways to solve them. Our lives are so intertwined with work and home that we always face challenges. In all this, I must not forget to serve him in every way I can imagine, as he serves me. We dedicate some time during the week for the two of us to work on our relationship and remind each other how much we love each other. We want our marriage to be one our Lord is proud of. It comes with work, but what a joy it is.

Teaching is another big part of my life. I would not be a good teacher if I just looked at the test scores and ensured my students learned math and English. The most important element of teaching is to be sure each child hears about Jesus and sees His love oozing out of every part of my being. I need to make sure they learn about math and all other subjects, but teaching Jesus’ love and character is paramount. Putting their needs above mine is a constant challenge in serving my students.

All relationships involve some form of service for them to survive. Friendship takes a lot of work, but it reaps many rewards. Being a grandparent is such a privilege, but it also bears great responsibility. We are teaching our grandchildren how to be adults one day, even at a young age. We want them to have character and serve Christ as they grow in Him. 

Being a co-laborer in Christ is another challenge. I must be sure my staff knows how much I love them before I can lead them. In many ways, I bring many of the philosophies of motherhood to being a “boss.” I don’t like that word, but it is what it is. I love my staff. I care for them, nurture them, correct them, and serve them. The technique may be different, but the basic tenets are there.

Motherhood has been one of the greatest challenges of my life. We have 5 children, and they are all different. In their childhood, each one had various levels of submission and rebellion. Some we could speak to once, and they usually behaved, while others almost always required more drastic measures.  If the truth be told, each child had their own challenges. Their father and I have prayed over them, wept over them, disciplined them, and tried to lead them so that Christ would be pleased. We laughed and cried with them. When our children hurt, we hurt. We are now parents of 10 adult children, which has been an even bigger challenge than when they were young. The example we set is even more critical.

Being a mother to young children or adult children requires so much discipline. A good mother will do what is best for her children, not what her children want. We sometimes have to say what is painful, not what tickles the ears. We all want to please our children, but we must teach them to be followers of Christ by our examples. What does that mean? We must have the fruits of the Spirit before we can teach them. Galatians 5:22-23 states, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (balance), against such there is no law.” Impossible. Well, it is in our own power. We must die to ourselves.  We must put others above ourselves in all areas of our lives. 

Which brings me to the most important relationship of all. We cannot die to ourselves nor put others before ourselves if we don’t have Jesus in the correct position in our lives. Jesus must come first. He must have priority. We must serve Him above all others. I am constantly frustrated because I never feel that I am doing enough, nor do I feel I have enough time for what I need to do and for the people in my life. I had to stop beating myself up and realize that if I have Jesus first, all of the other relationships will fall into place. Putting Him first is a constant work in progress.

I don’t mean I will always have enough time to do what I want. There will never be enough time because there will never be enough laborers. But I must learn to accept that as long as I serve Him with all my heart, He will take care of the rest. I must remember to let Him lead me and not take the reins. I need to stop worrying and be a conduit for what He wants me to do. Any problem I face, he has the answer to. 

I must ask Him each minute of each day, “How do you want me to serve you today, Lord?”

No matter what area you serve in today, whether you are a preacher, father, or construction worker, this question is one you need to ask: Are you willing to let the Lord take over your day?

Dr. Worthington has five children and twelve grandchildren.  She serves as Principal of Pathway Christian Academy in Goldsboro.