Why I Share My Story

In the Mighty Oaks Foundation Women’s Legacy Program, We like to encourage the women to serve in their home or their communities. Just this past weekend, my pastor spoke about serving. We are a growing church, and with that comes the need for more volunteers.  He explained how serving is paving a way to Jesus, just like John the Baptist did. 

One area that I love to serve in is my church nursery.  Rocking babies is a God-given talent of mine. I was born to nurture.  For as long as I can remember, I was playing with baby dolls, feeding them, changing them, dressing them, and rocking them. One Christmas morning, I walked out to a baby stroller waiting for me right in front of the Christmas tree. To this day, it brings me so much joy thinking how excited I was to be able to give my babies a walk or take them to the store in that brand new pink stroller. I knew that I wanted to be a professional Mommy at a young age, and that is exactly what I did. I married my husband Chad two weeks out of high school. Thankfully Chad was on the same page about having a family, so we got busy.  We were blessed to have three beautiful babies is three years. With that said, my service was in my very own home for quite some time. Those three babies are all now young adults. My service in my home has thinned out, allowing me to give my time, gifts, and talents elsewhere. 

When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Romans 12:13 (NLT)

Chad and I started the Mighty Oaks Foundation in 2011; our hearts were still bleeding from working through a broken marriage. The Lord made it so clear to us to start Mighty Oaks to show others how we found hope and restoration in having a relationship with Jesus Christ. We didn’t have an ounce of knowledge of how we were going to do this, nor did we ever go to bible college. All we had was a story, but it was a story of Christ making beauty from ashes in our lives and in our marriage. I felt unqualified for this calling the Lord put on our hearts. I thought, how can I ask these women who come to me searching for hope and answers to take my advice when I am so broken myself.  I looked at women like Beth Moore and Kasey Van Norman, who to me seemed educated and knew the bible very well and thought I would never be able to encourage women as they do. 

It has now been eight years since we started Mighty Oaks, and what I have discovered is that in my brokenness, I have gained wisdom in many areas of my marriage struggles, forgiveness and finding my worth.  Those same areas are what I get asked about most from women who reach out to me. I am not a bible scholar, and I never went to college, but I did go to cosmetology school, which has allowed me to share my story with women in my chair. 

I did not see it before but after this past weekend hearing my pastor speak on serving I realized that sharing my story when I speak for Mighty Oaks in public or at one of our women’s sessions it is an act of service. Writing this blog is also an act of service.  God qualified this Professional Mommy of three with only a cosmetology education to bring hope to the world by sharing my story. I am paving a way to Jesus for others, and I hope you will meet Him there. 

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
Colossians 3:23 (NLT)

I have heard it said that God doesn’t call the qualified, God qualifies the called. Are you withholding from serving in your home or community because you feel unqualified? Are you a churchgoer? If so, are you giving your time, gifts, and talents to help pave a path to Jesus?  

I encourage you to: 

1. Identify your gifts and talents. If you are unsure of what those are, ask your loved ones to help you identify what those can be? 
2. Put them into action. Use those gifts and talents to serve others. 
3. Serving should come from a willing and joyful heart. If we are serving to be good enough, we are doing it wrong. That is not what serving is all about.