Posted on 19 Nov 2019 by CERC
#WeAreCERC ft. Melissa Johnson
“I’m not some superhuman mother who just does it all. But what helps me to get through the day and week is remembering who I am under God and my call to serve Him with all my life which includes caring for my husband, my kids, the rest of my family and the church.”
Melissa Johnson is the head of CERC’s department that records sermons for our website, part of the kitchen team that feeds an average of 400 people during every Geddit event, music team member, usher, wife, and mother of four.
The secret to juggling all the above is…..“honestly, by God’s grace! Having a husband, family and church that are striving together in serving the same sovereign God is really what makes it all possible.”
Mel decided to be a stay at home mum mainly because she knew that being a mother was a full-time job. She and her husband Jeremy understood that they were stewards of the lives of their children God has put under their care and hence wanted to have more input in their upbringing, shaping of their character, and understanding of who God is.
“Seeing them grow in their understanding of who God is, realising who they are under God, accepting how they should live under this awesome God is really sanctifying and reassuring.”
After being a stay at home mum for over 12 years, Mel just recently decided to get back into the workforce by starting her own company as a café consultant! Here are her thoughts:
“In the process of figuring out ways to earn a little extra to pay for bills, our options were limited to the fact that either Jeremy or myself will be severely limited in our time spent serving at church or being at home with the family. We both decided to use our knowledge and experience and start a café consulting company! This allows me to have some control over the hours spent working & how much time I have for family and church.”
As a seasoned mother, here are some words of wisdom:
“When I first became a mother, I learnt something very important from the Bible. It’s not enough to just ‘be a mother.’ It’s not enough to just raise children. It’s about raising kids right from God’s point of view. Being a Christian mother is about nurturing my children the way God intended His people to raise their offspring. It is my responsibility to teach them about who this God is, how to read the Bible and understand it and how to live it out.
Secondly, being a parent is also a very sanctifying process that God has so graciously bestowed to mankind. When you have children, you see your own sinfulness in them. When you correct them, it almost always points back at your own sin. It then teaches you to be more aware of their and your own sinfulness and how to deal with it rightly.
When you understand your own sin and how deeply depraved you are, you will see God’s grace & mercy in forgiving your sins. That makes you want to strive to be better parents in God’s standards.”
Thank you, Mel, for sharing your wisdom of being a stay at home mum or even a working mum, that either way, it is done with God and His church in mind. Continue raising up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, continue encouraging others to do likewise.
