living intentionally by faith everyday

L.I.F.E by Ashley Pichea

Be FAITHFUL in the small things…

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in very much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” 
{Luke 16.10}

As I quickly glanced through my study of the Gospel of Luke on Monday, this verse jumped out at me.

My first thought was:

“Until I prove myself to be faithful with my current ministries, God won’t give me a bigger ministry.”

As I meditated on it, on what my current ministries entail, a practical example popped into my head:

My main ministry (in theory, not always in practicality), is to my family.

Laundry Helpers by ashleypichea, on Pix-O-Sphere

One area that I’m slacking in regards to this ministry is cleaning my house.

This has become a point of contention between me and my husband, especially as we would like to add a pet to our family. He has indicated that we cannot add a pet to the household until I prove myself able and willing to keep the house clean, as a pet will only add to the mess.

Until I prove myself to be faithful with a smaller task, I will not be granted the opportunity to be faithful with a larger task.

Until I make my ministry to my family my first priority in action as well as in theory, I will not be given additional ministry responsibilities from God.

What small task do you need to be faithful to complete well today?

What ministry has God called you to be faithful in?

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Category: Faith
  • sisterlisa

    I love that you see your home as a ministry. Even while I was cleaning my room today, folding laundry, and cleaning the bathroom, I am ministering to the Lord (caring for the home He gave me) and to my husband. :)

  • Becky

    I'm right there with you on the housecleaning thing! It's all about the routines for me though. I don't know why it's such a struggle for me to realize that I must do the same thing every day. I'm working on it though. I realize that I like to see clean spaces, orderly rooms, etc, and the necessary work it takes to accomplish that. And it really isn't as hard or as much work as I make it out to be!

  • Jen

    isn't that truth? sometimes the daily tasks of home feel not so much like a ministry, but they are. i've been reminding myself lately that part of ministering to my husband is having a clean, well organized, home for him to come home to, to WANT to come home to… have you ever used flylady for cleaning? http://www.flylady.net/ she breaks cleaning down into "zones"… i use it sometimes to get me motivated. i can often look at the whole house and feel defeated, but this helps a lot for me! you're doing, great, Ash!

  • Mariposa

    This is something that God convicted me of recently as well. I am now embracing the wonderful ministry He HAS given me (my family) and praying for patience to wait for Him to fulfill the others He has place in my heart (missions) in HIS time. Blessings on your day, amiga! :)

  • apichea

    It's definitely not a concept that comes naturally to me, but God is using
    the little things to reiterate to me that I need to focus on this ministry
    during this season of my life. I am glad for the accountability of the
    community of bloggers who encourage me to make my family my priority!

  • apichea

    My biggest struggle is seeing it as "important." My husband grew up in an
    always clean home, and I grew up in a sometimes clean home, thus our
    definitions of "clean enough" are often in conflict. I really need to make
    it more a part of my daily routine, like you said, in order to do it well.

  • apichea

    I like the idea of "zones" for cleaning… I'll have to check that site out.
    I usually do all of one thing at a time (when I actually do anything) – all
    the bathrooms, all the laundry, all the vacuuming/sweeping. I find if I do
    it in groups like that I'm not doing the same thing EVERY day and it gets a
    little less monotonous.

  • apichea

    Praise God for His faithfulness to you in this area! I love that He gives us
    different ministries in different seasons… I would get too bored if I had
    the same assignment for my entire life! :)

  • S Club Mama

    Have you read the book Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson? I think you would definitely enjoy it. It's basically about your home and your family being your ministry.

    I need to get meals on the table, even if I have to work out when my hubby gets home. He shouldn't have to cook. So I'm off to cook.

  • Hope Wilbanks

    You hit the nail on the head, Ashley. So many times I (and I've watched others do it, too) struggle with wanting to "advance" in ministry, or just be invited to do more…but that won't happen until I prove myself faithful in the little things I'm already asked to do. :) Great post!!

  • apichea

    I haven't had a chance to read that book yet, but it is definitely on my
    "want to read" list for when my current stack is seriously diminished!
    Enjoying serving your hubby through preparing his meals!

  • apichea

    Thanks, Hope. I'm preaching to myself in this post as much as I am to anyone
    else… I need this reminder over and over again!

  • Melissa

    Have you been to my houses? The Lord has been convicting me of the same thing, mainly because it is an issue between my husband and I. Praying for both of us to be faithful in the small things..thanks for sharing your heart!

  • apichea

    Hi Melissa! :) Isn't it so nice to know that we're not alone in our
    struggles?! God not only walks through them with us, but puts others in our
    paths that are facing (or have faced) similar situations. Prayers all
    around!! :-D

  • Taylor G

    Love this. :) SO true, and such a strong and powerful reminder of why it IS important to be faithful in the small. Thanks for the encouragement.

  • Cathy Eddington

    I am a all or nothing person! Feel like I have to clean the entire house or do every piece of laundry. Which in turn, causes me to be overwhelmed and not do it at all,oops. My kitchen is always clean, take care of that about 100 times a day. I am so gonna check that zone thing out, that sounds like a good plan! I was very convicted by your post today, I have a newborn and toddler and a messy house! I spend way to much time on my blog and social media but I am glad that I came upon yours for the first time today ;) We have to be encouragers to one another! {btw, my idea of messy and somebody else's is different, I have a little OCD going on}

    I am gonna go on over there to the right and follow your blog ;) You are more than welcome to stop by mine sometime to chat ;)

    http://www.ceddington.blogspot.com Cathy's Voice

    Blessings & Peace
    Cathy

  • apichea

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment. Comments make my
    day! :)

  • apichea

    I like the idea you brought out that each of us has our own views about what
    "messy" is… it's good to remember. We can't judge another based on our own
    personal preferences. But also, as spouses, we need to communicate those
    views to one another in order to meet on common ground.

    Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment!

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  • irene cortez

    Until I prove myself to be faithful with a smaller task, I will not be granted the opportunity to be faithful with a larger task. — I love this line! I’ll bear this in mind from now on.
    God bless! :-)

    Irene

  • Bolhuis5

    I can empathize with you on this small task, Ashley.

    • http://blog.ashleypichea.com Ashley Pichea

      :)

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