Interview
I appreciate Lissa taking time out of her
busy schedule to be interviewed this month.
Let’s get to know her better. Lissa
is 31 years old and has been married for
9 years. She lives in the United States
and has twin boys age 6. Lissa is the Southwest
U.S. Operations Manager for an international
analytical/technical services company serving
the food industry.
Lissa shares these joys in being a Christian
Working Mom:
• Being able to fellowship with other
Christians during my workday.
• Being able to use my God-given strengths
to help expand an amazing business that
practices their ‘Principles and Values’
daily, including, “We know that God
owns the business, and we seek to operate
it by His standards of excellence.”
• Being able to show my children that
working can be a pleasure rather than just
an obligation.
• Being in an environment with other
Christian working parents who understand
the importance of family and are flexible
to changing needs.
• Working with others who encourage
me to be a better parent, wife, and person
in general.
• Working with people who understand
that you need to do the important things
in life, not just the urgent.
• Being able to feel good about my
job and my company’s role in ensuring
safe, nutritious food world-wide.
• Being able to expose my children
to interesting people and places throughout
the country as I travel – many times
having the opportunity for them to travel
with me.
List the struggles of being a Christian
Working Mom:
• Finding the time to accomplish all
(or, at least some) of the tasks on my never-ending
‘to do’ list.
• Feeling guilty about the time I
spend working, and feeling guilty about
taking any time for myself. Also feeling
guilty about enjoying my work and not wanting
to be a stay-at-home mom. Pressures from
friends and family who openly share their
opinions on ‘working moms’ can
become quite brutal at times! I’m
saddened that as mothers, instead of uniting
together across all walks of life, many
choose to segregate into groups based on
what they feel to be ‘right’,
thus making everything else ‘wrong’.
Lissa’s favorite Bible Verses are:
o Col. 3:23, “Whatever you do, work
at it with all your heart, as working for
the Lord, not for men.” NIV
o Gal. 6:9, “Let us not become weary
in doing good, for at the proper time we
will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
NIV
o Phillip. 4:13, “I can do everything
through him who gives me strength.”
NIV
o Prov. 3:5-6, “(5) Trust in the LORD
with all your heart and lean not on your
own understanding; (6) in all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths
straight.” NIV
o Matt. 17:20, “He replied, "Because
you have so little faith. I tell you the
truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard
seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move
from here to there' and it will move. Nothing
will be impossible for you." NIV
What is God teaching you right now?
God is really convicting me to keep my priorities
in sight at all times – not letting
the urgent override the important in response
to our hectic lives. As a ‘Type A’,
organized, particular person (by nature
and by training), I sometimes struggle in
asking God to help with my ‘to do’
list. I am learning to become more dependent
on Him in all things.
Words of Encouragement for other Christian
Working Moms
If you are following the path He has laid
for you, do not be concerned about what
others think. Everyone’s walk is unique
and divinely planned. We should work to
support each other and build one another
up in Him, rather than judging and criticizing
actions that are different than own.
Anything else you would like to share:
I feel blessed to be part of this group
of Christian Working Moms. While I am currently
surrounded by other CWMs inside and outside
of my business, it has not always been this
way. I am for thankful for this group and
its encouraging support of CWMs world-wide.
Lissa I think it is wonderful that you
work in a business with other Christians
and they value Biblical principles. Thanks
for encouraging us today to work as unto
the Lord.
Final Thoughts
My children have been coming home from
school lately and sharing what worldviews
are being taught in their school. Thankfully,
they have been able to pick up on errors
that do not reflect our Christian worldview.
Pray that your children will have discernment
while at school to know what God’s
view is and what the world’s view
is. For those of you with babies or preschoolers
you can be praying even now that they will
have a wise and discerning mind. Also, that
they will come to know Jesus Christ as their
Savior at a young age and that they will
not be able to remember a day in their lives
when they did not know Jesus.
Till next time,
Kimberly M. Chastain
Kimberly M. Chastain, MS,
LMFT is the Christian Working Mom Coach
and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
She is the author of The Voices of Christian
Working Moms, 2 ebooks and an online Bible
study. To find out how to receive coaching
tips by email daily, go to http://www.kimberlychastain.com/cwmtips.htm.
To find out more about her books go to www.christianworkingmom.com.
For a free, initial coaching session send
an email to free@kimberlychastain.com.
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