I love my jobs.

They come with endless to do lists, as most jobs do, but with a lot of excitement and anticipation as well.

They are highly lucrative, too, in that they produce a great profit margin. That is, if you view things like faith, friendship, mentoring, mothering, organizing, nurturing, praying, listening, and facilitating as gainful things.

How do you even put a price on presenting every woman complete in Christ? On helping women be firmly rooted and built up in Him? (Colossians) On facilitating an atmosphere where the older women love and teach the younger women? Where the younger women help sharpen and support the older women? (Titus)

Those are the goals of both of my jobs: Mothering and Mentoring.

Both jobs have been extremely advantageous to my own soul, and hopefully profitable to those I get to serve.

Here’s what they look like this week:

Monday: Lots of emails and texts touching base with women’s ministry leaders in my church. Sending several letters and packages off in the mail. Making pediatrician, eye doctor, and dermatologist appointments. Making sure the kitchen is stocked with food for the week.

Tuesday: Breakfast and a packed lunch for Kayla by 7:45am. Drive her to Classical Conversations for the day. Gym and check-in-breakfast-date with Robert. A 1pm one hour video call with church planter and pastor’s wives from the Pacific Northwest. I’ll get to lead a short Bible study and participate in a Q & A with younger women who are new to this particular life calling. 3:30pm coffee date with Kaitlyn, a mom and women’s ministry teammate. Dinner with Robert, Kayla, and most likely Kayla’s friend Jayden. (They have a standing dinner and tv/movie date after CC on Tuesdays which I love and will miss dearly someday soon.)

Wednesday: A 7:30am breakfast with Isabelle, a staff wife from my church, to go over retreat planning and catch up on life. A 4+ hour drive to Princeton, NJ along with Lizzie, a church staff intern, for more retreat planning and a couple of personal visits. A dinner with my niece, Anna. I’ll miss leading my women’s small group that night, so I’ll touch base with Meghan, another church staff member, who is stepping in to facilitate for me.

Thursday: An 11:30am lunch date with our women’s retreat speaker for this year. (Our retreat is April 6-8) Her name is Kori Porter and you can read about her here. You can listen to her story here and here. She’ll take me to her favorite Princeton University hangouts (she’s a campus ministry leader there) and we’ll finalize her speaking schedule for the retreat weekend. I’ll drive back to Massachusetts that afternoon/evening along with Lizzie.

(Speaking of, here’s our retreat registration site. If you feel at all inclined, we are in need of about $1800 in scholarships for some of the Five College Area women in our church. You can click “tickets” and then “give a donation” to give any amount toward this.)

Friday: A follow up visit with the orthopedic doctor about my knee. I’m hoping to get rid of this brace for good! Later, a drive to Boston to meet an old friend and spend the night catching up. She’s also helping me plan a special overnight spot for Kayla and her friends for our July 27-28 trip to see Taylor Swift at Gillette Stadium.

Saturday: A drive back to Amherst. Cooper will be home for Spring Break that day. A menu planning session and trip to the grocery store for hosting Sunday lunch here.

Sunday: Worship. Cooking. Gathering at the table. Talking. Laughing.

See what I mean?

Lucrative.

Lots of potential for large profit margins. It’s definitely my prayer that the revenues greatly exceed the costs and that the women in my home and my church benefit abundantly.

Actually, I know that they will – even in spite of my best efforts and worst failures, because that’s how God’s economy works.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal… Matthew 6:20

I talked to my 92 year old grandmother last week. She cried over her inability to be of any real help in my life right now, in Kory’s wedding this summer, to her two sons who now take care of her.

If only she could see more clearly how the investments she made in me are compounding and spilling into the lives of her great-grandchildren and so many other others.

She has a lot of stored treasure in heaven. I think she will be shocked when she sees it. So much to offer back to Christ in worship.

To my fellow mamas and mentors: God’s interest rates are truly amazing. He multiplies the smallest of investments makes the ongoing costs worth every exhausted effort and tearful prayer.

Here’s to your work week!