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This is a small snippet of this episode for those who want to know why I may be absent but don’t want to listen to the whole episode.
In episode 57 of the Joyfully Homeschooling podcast here we are 81 episodes later and I am back with some raw honesty. That episode was hard for me and was a huge transition in my parenting and outlook on this ministry and work in general. It reminds me of an OLD blog post I wrote almost 6 years ago called Finding Joy in Your Calling.
In that blog post, I shared that the question “What do you do now?” was one that made me squirm. It is the one that is supposed to allow us to name off all the wonderful things we are doing with our life. However, for me, it was the question that left me weak in the knees. What do I say? Am I just a mom? A writer? A blogger? A teacher? A freelancer? I felt like, despite the fact that I was 32 years old, I didn’t know what my calling or purpose was in this life. I would love to say that over 6 years later I have a handle on this but I don’t.
As women, I believe no matter what stage of life we are in we struggle with our calling. We don’t feel like we do enough. We want a bigger ministry, a purpose for our life. We want to be recognized for the work we do that is seen, and even the work we do that is sometimes unseen. We want to be used by the Lord but are not sure what that should look like. We want to know and embrace our calling in life.
And, way back in episode 57, I shared this: I love blogging. I REALLY love podcasting. I love the ministry that God has to give me. BUT, I am not here to build an empire, but to build a life that matters. And I’m not going to sacrifice my family on the altar of ministry. I”m not going to sacrifice my family on the altar of what others would deem a “good” homeschool.
And, what I didn’t tell you way back in episode 57 is that I at that time felt God tell me very clearly to walk away from this ministry. This area that I had deemed my calling. And, I didn’t. Instead, I cut back on blogging, focused on podcasting. Cut back on social media, and instead focused on email marketing. In my mind, this “cutback” was doing the right thing. But, it wasn’t. It just wasn’t.
By society’s standards, this podcast has grown leaps and bounds since then. Sponsors are contacting me constantly, downloads just keep going up. And I am SO thankful for that. And because of that. it is easy to say that God is blessing this ministry. However, I have still felt him telling me to walk away. From all of it. And I just haven’t wanted to.
However, guys, there have been some things that have taken place over the last 3-6 months that have made it very clear to me that God has called me on another path. While this ministry has been a wonderful blessing, and a calling I have been so thankful for, He has made it crystal clear that the door should be closed while he opens doors for other work avenues for me and a time to just focus on having teenagers.
Blogging and podcasting is SO much about sharing our behind the scenes lives. Our personal stories and I have always done that with you all and tried to do it in a way that also kept my children’s identities and personal lives somewhat private. But, as my girls get older, as they get into dating, and driving, and high school, and as college is on the horizon they appreciate the sharing of these things a lot less. They want me to cut back on things and I don’t blame them. And my relationship with them? That is SO much more important than any platform I have.
And in the end, I feel that is why God told me to walk away 80 episodes ago. Because the growth, the love for this ministry, makes it SO much harder to do now. But, it is what I must do. So, to each and every one of you out there, thank you. This is goodbye for now, but I hope and pray that God allows me to one day open it up again.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Podcast Sponsor Biglifejournal.com
- Finding Joy in Your Calling blog post
- Follow Misty on Instagram
- Follow Misty on Facebook
- Subscribe for weekly encouragement emails