What Does He Want You to Make Space For?
When Jairus and I got married, he was hoping for a big family. I, however, never succumbed to the baby fever so many of my newlywed friends had. Honestly, the idea of parenthood was sort of foreign and a bit terrifying to me.
My response was to become a sponge. I listened to and read alllllllll the parenting info I could find. But with so many conflicting opinions, and so little hard evidence to back any of these opinions, I was just confused and discouraged. So, we started to volunteer in our church preschool class and nursery. While there, we grew to love all of the kiddos we got to spend time with. One family in particular had kids that were kind to others, imaginative, intelligent, responsible, and could truly play. These kids knew that Jesus loved them, but they weren’t robotic kids that always had the “right” answer. Their faith was authentic, even at age 4.
I tried not to make it weird. But after several months of working with all the kids and noticing all the ways this particular family stood out, I finally approached their mom. “Hey. Can I just tell you. I think your kids are amazing. Would you be willing to help me figure out how to be a good mom?”
Thankfully she was willing.
At first, our schedules made things tricky. Eventually we figured out that the only way for us to spend consistent time together was to go grocery shopping after our kids were in bed. We would walk the aisles and chat about diaper rash, tummy time, and letting our husbands become the dads God designed them to be. I watched her as she meal planned and budgeted to make one income feed six. She invited me to set consistent limits for my kiddos as they tested boundaries, and she challenged me to find compassion when their meltdowns made me want to meltdown too. Sometimes we would just cry together and then remember to pray.
Now, almost 13 years later, I am far from a carbon copy of my mentor. We have unique gifts and callings. But, I am the mother I am because God saw fit to put us in one another’s paths, and because their family was willing to make space in their lives for ours.
In the book of Acts, we see Paul doing his thing: sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. But we notice that he is very rarely alone in this. Paul provides a great example for us to follow. He creates space in his life for Barnabus, Silas, Timothy, and more. As these men worship together, work together, teach one another, and pray for one another, they all grew in their faith and in their witness.
So, take a minute and ask the Father, who does He want you to make space for?
-Randi
Randi Banning is married to Jairus, and they live in Cortland with their four children. Randi serves on the Regen Oversight Team and co-leads the Regen Care Team.
