By Karen Friday

In your quest to serve others, do you sometimes overlook your family’s needs? Here’s encouragement for you.

It’s So Easy to Overlook Your Family

How can I pray for you? 

How can I help you? 

I often ask these two questions of others, especially other women. Asking how to pray and help someone fosters a connection unlike any other.

Prayer is one of the greatest gifts we give someone. And offering real, authentic and tangible help? It’s what few are willing to do.

But what about my family and yours? Do we overlook the people right in front of us in need of prayer and help? 

Don’t Overlook Your Own Family

First and foremost, our husband and children need our support. Also our adult children who already left home. Our family also includes siblings, parents, grandchildren, in-laws and possibly other extended family.

Let’s consider some examples of how we live this out in real life.

Ask your husband how you can pray for him. 

This may seem uncomfortable at first. Still, it shows great love and care toward your husband to even ask. So if you really hear him and follow through, think of the deep connection it will bring in your relationship and be sure to follow the effects of specific prayers spoken over him.

Gather his prayer needs when you know there are hardships with his job or a particular area of life. But don’t forget to find out how to pray during times when things are going along fine. 

Ask your children how you can pray for them.

Start when they are kindergarten age and continue through teen, college, and adult years. If your kids are hesitant, keep asking in a sincere way. 

For example, if your five-year-old doesn’t like school, finding out how to pray may reveal the issues. Or, if your teen displays signs of withdrawing, asking how to pray might reveal a broken friendship or bullying. 

You get the idea. Practice asking and praying for other family members during both sunny and rainy seasons in life.

Reach out to your family members to ask how you can help.

Your husband may need your insight with a situation at work or for a project. Maybe your daughter needs your help with how to address her teacher over something that happened at school. 

Perhaps your sister comes to you for help with a hurt she experienced with a close friend. Or, your aging mom needs direction on a purchase or medical decisions.

When you ask how you can help, it causes your family member to think through what they really need, ways you can help (or not help), what they can do for themselves and if outside help is needed.

Pray this: God, give me a ministry to my family.

I meet with women who ask God to give them a ministry, one where, as women of God, they leave their mark for the Kingdom of God and make a difference in the world—their world.

I’ve asked the same thing of the Lord. You don’t have to be in ministry to want to touch people’s lives.  We all minister where we are.

In my current life season, I’m working full-time outside the home in a job I enjoy. This is where the Lord has placed me to minister to others. But it doesn’t stop there. 

I desire a ministry inside my home and with my entire family. The Lord wants this for me.

Friend, God has placed you in your home and with your family for a reason, to minister to them. This, too, is Kingdom work. 

Wife Step: Ask God to grow your heart to desire to minister to your own family within the walls of your home. Then, begin to ask those two important questions to your husband, children, and extended family. 

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