Being On Mission :: Easy Ways to Support The Moms Around You & Beyond

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There is a sign in the parking lot at a local church that has always intrigued me. It’s perfectly placed as you exit the parking lot. It says…

Being On Mission :: Easy Ways to Support The Moms Around You & Beyond | Columbia SC Moms Blog

As moms, we often go through our days constantly serving our families just by the role of being a mom. Obviously, my kids are my PRIMARY mission field and they should always be my priority. They have been entrusted to me and it is a high calling to raise them. But sometimes, I don’t see beyond my life and forget about the world beyond my front door. The sign at the church is right, the world is our mission field, not just inside the walls of our home.

When you’re in the crux of motherhood, especially with little ones, it can be overwhelming to reach out to others. It’s hard enough planning dinner, much less thinking of ways to serve others and actually execute it.

But what if we are making it harder than it really is? Service for others can happen as a part of our daily lives. It can happen near our home. It can happen with our kids involved.

There are so many populations we can choose to serve, but what if … what if … we served each other? What if we served other moms? What if we not only sought moms out in our churches, but in other areas in our lives? At the preschool? At the dance studio? At the soccer field? At the gym? At Chick-fil-A?

When I stopped looking at the mission field as some far-off place in a third world country, my eyes were opened to the opportunities right in front of me. It was when I stopped being a constant consumer and intentionally became a giver that I saw the needs of others.

Being On Mission :: Easy Ways to Support The Moms Around You & Beyond | Columbia SC Moms Blog
Maybe going to another country isn’t your mission for now.

Here are a few, simple acts of service our family have discovered bring joy to other moms and have brought joy to us:

  1. Double your dinner recipe and provide dinner for another mom’s family. Seriously what mom wouldn’t love to have a homecooked meal appear on her doorstep?
  2. If all the girls in first grade need a white shirt for the play, why not pick up a few extra shirts? You’ll save some moms an extra trip to the store or the embarrassment of forgetting.
  3. Volunteer to take a few of the boys to soccer practice one evening, so the other moms can have a ‘night off’ from at least one practice.
  4. Simple tasks such as going to the dentist can be difficult for a mom with little ones. Volunteer to watch her kids so she can go to an appointment alone. Going somewhere alone is magical for any mom.
  5. If you see her favorite item at the grocery store on sale, pick one up for her and leave it at her door. You never know the day she has had and your small gesture may be the kindness she needs.
  6. Send another mom a note of encouragement. This one is so very basic, but can make all the difference for a mom who is having a tough day.
  7. If you’re headed to a bulk grocery store or store she doesn’t visit regularly, ask if she needs you to pick anything up while you are there.
  8. Use your gifts no matter how trivial you assume them to be! If you can sew…help with the costumes for the recital. If you are good at organization … help with the class parties, gifts for coaches.

This certainly can extend well beyond other moms. Give your trash collectors a drink and snack and watch their face light up. Write a thank you note to your child’s coach for the investment they are making in your child’s life. Send some extra school supplies to your child’s teacher so she doesn’t have to purchase them. The opportunities are endless.

Being On Mission :: Easy Ways to Support The Moms Around You & Beyond | Columbia SC Moms Blog
Waiting for our trash collectors to give them a special treat.

When we look beyond ourselves and serve others, we find greater peace amongst our hectic lives. It’s so easy to get caught up in ourselves and how much we have going on, but when we stop to really examine the needs around us, we see opportunity. So, while you may not be in a season of life where you can board a plane to serve others in another country or volunteer on a regular basis somewhere, we can all do small acts of service right where we are.

And do you know one of the greatest things about service to others? You have little eyes watching and learning how to treat and care for others.

How do you serve those around you?

 

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Missey Calcutt
Missey Calcutt is a follower of Jesus and wife to her best friend for 16 years. Together they have five amazing kids who range in age from one to 13 years of age. Born and raised in Columbia, she earned a BA in Speech Language Pathology from Columbia College. She then attended USC where she earned a Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology. After working in a variety of settings for eleven years, she became a stay-at-home mom to her growing family. Now, she juggles hectic schedules, carpool lines and nonstop meal preparation. In addition to her love for writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, serving in her church, reading, and exercising. She hopes her posts bring encouragement to other women in the trenches of motherhood.

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