Philippians 3
Philippians 3:7 “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”
The beginning of 2017 reminds me of a very important decision I made ten years ago. In January 2007, after many prayers and councils, I turned in my resignation letter to the business school for which I had worked as faculty.
My career had been progressing well, with wonderful colleagues and attractive pay. However, God called me to let go of the career I had worked very hard to achieve and to stay at home to raise children. It was a decision that shocked many of my relatives and I received many questions and criticism. Indeed, the culture where I grew up did not value a stay-at-home mom and it is rare for women to give up their careers for children. God used Philippians 3, especially verse 7, to give me the courage, strength, and assurance to choose to obey His calling.
Giving up a career is nothing compared to what Apostle Paul lost in following Jesus, but I certainly have been challenged by the responsibilities and sacrifices of motherhood. When life gets tough, may we be reminded by this powerful truth: as believers, our worth is no longer what we do or have as the world defines it, but what we know by experience through obeying Him —the supreme knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord (Philippians 3:8).