PMS: my calling to ministry

When I was seventeen I sat in church and surrendered my life to God's service. I signed on the dotted line, so to speak, without knowing fully what that meant or where that would take me.

In 2002, in the middle of my first year teaching in a small community near Denton, TX, I again surrendered my plans, my pride, and what I thought was my purpose to God.

I saw a need. I felt a call. I was going to be a women's minister. The large churches around Dallas were hiring women specifically to minister to the women of their congregations. That must be what God wanted me to do.

I moved to North Carolina, started teaching at a Christian school, and took classes toward my degree. I tried hard not to date the single History teacher, but he won me over with bribes of candy corn and golf lessons. The problem- he also felt a call to full time ministry. How could I be a women's minister if I were married to a pastor? A church would have to hire us both, or we would work at different churches, or.... maybe God would find another solution.

And now, after being out of seminary over a year, am I where I wanted to be when I started this journey? Sitting in that pew at seventeen years old, did I sign up for this?

To be honest, some times my answer is no. I didn't set out to get a Master of Divinity degree thinking it would help me be successful at what has become my daily routine.

Teaching our three year old to mind mommy, instead of teaching fifty (or five-hundred) women to obey God.

Unloading the dishwasher just to load it again, instead of going from a counseling session to a staff meeting.

Or the opportunities I have each day to change diapers, instead of seeing a woman change from a life of rebellion to a life that rejoices in the joy of knowing God.

But, I have learned you don't separate the sacred from the secular. The ministry I do for my family, through my home, and as I support my husband in his vocation as a minister follows in the footsteps of Hannah, the widow of Zarephath, and Priscilla.

My ministry isn't what I envisioned at 17, or even 22, but it is the ministry to which God called has called me. And I will honor Him through the opportunities He gives each day, as I continue to see ministry as more than having an office at the church.

How is your current ministry different from what you imagined it would be? Any advice for those who struggle wanting to do "more"?

Sandra Peoples lives in Pennsylvania. She focuses on ministering to her family so her husband can minister to their church. She blogs with friends at Today's Housewife .