I shared a bit on Periscope last week about this topic, this is probably one of the most single important lessons I've learned about myself and Christ these last seven years.

Let me back up, my husband and I have been involved in some sort of ministry or another since before we met. When we met we both knew that someday we'd serve the local church together in ministry. We moved to Arizona seven years ago to take on a youth pastor position at local church here in Phoenix. After a really rough couple years the church finally ended up closing its doors. We were left without a church, a job, hurt, confused and wondered what God was doing in all of it.

I thought we'd quickly move right back into full time ministry. After several interviews with churches God was closing doors left and right. We decided our next move would be to settle here where God had us and make the most of life. We found a church, my husband entered into Grad school, I was still working my full time job outside the home, we had another baby a few years later and God has been faithfully providing for us these last 5 years.

We found a church where we stayed at for four years. During those years God used that time to help grow us together, heal our hearts and we learned to serve together more so than we'd ever had before. We served our local church, we helped lead small groups, we helped out with several ministries, my husband led worship, we helped behind the scenes and God taught me some big lessons through it all.

God broke my heart and spirit for the people of the church during this season. He allowed me to see them as he would. For a long time I feel into the lie that I was only a leader or had influence if I had a title next to my name. If I was a Pastor's wife, if I was the head of a ministry, if someone knew what I was doing an approved. The list could go on and on. The truth was, I needed those four years just me and the Lord.

I needed to be in a season where I could learn to lead without title and position. Even more so God worked on my heart to teach me to be a better leader, that it wasn't about me. It wasn't about my own agenda or about building my kingdom. It was about building HIS.

It was about doing ministry, serving the church and serving my family even if no one saw it or noticed it. He saw it. He noticed it. It mattered to him.

One Wednesday evening we'd just gotten done leading our small group at church, my husband was having worship practice after church that evening. We had one car at the time, so the kids and I stayed at the church till he was done. We played in the nursery for a bit before making our way into the church to hear Daddy sing. The whole day I was dreading our late evening ahead, I was dreading that we were going to be at the church for so long, that Ava would miss her bed time and our evening was going to be crazy.

As I sat there that evening I felt the Holy Spirit whisper to me;

"I see it and it matters to me."

That small confirmation that the Lord sees our work, he knows who we are was what I needed. And I realized that this was a valuable season, these were valuable lessons. No, my husband and I were not pastors at a church full time. No one knew all the things we did, or have always know all our history but I was no longer living under the lie that people needed to know my name or know if I was the "head" of something or not.

No, this was a valuable season because God opened my eyes and showed me how to love his church, his people. He taught me to lead without title and position.

I'm not sure where you're at in your season right now. Maybe you are a small business owner, maybe you are in ministry yourself, maybe you are in a season of mothering small children. Whatever your season God wants to teach you something in it. He wants to help you flourish and thrive. He wants to reveal more of himself as you draw closer to him. He wants you to know that he's placed in a specific season for a reason. As we strip everything else away we begin to realize it's just all about Jesus and loving his people and pointing them closer to Him.

Andrea Worley