THE CROSSING WEEKLY

Anna Benedict has been hosting “Coffee and Conversation” for the last several years in her home. It is a gathering of women who are searching and looking to dive deeper into life and relationship with one another. In recent months, a lot of really great conversations have been happening surrounding the importance of creating a space in the home that is both tidy and clean, but also a place of joy and rest.

Anna’s heart for the women in our church body was very evident as we spoke together over a pot of coffee. Her desire to see the young and old connect and learn from one another is the very heart and first fruits that started the gathering of women years ago. The group meets once a month over pastries, coffee, fellowship, conversation, and prayer. Cozied up in a home setting, it is the perfect place to dive deep into the realities of what it means to step up in the home.

Recently, Shawn and Stephanie Foster both talked about he importance of each member in the household stepping into their place both in the house and in the body.

Anna said something so profound that it still resonates now: “Last month we had a conversation about the series… If you are filling someone else’s shoes, they cannot fill them… I feel the safest when I am in submission to my husband.” When asked what she meant by safe, she continued: “At one point, I was making big decisions because I was the one that was home.” But things have changed now. “The other day, my son was asking me something and I said ‘I’m going to ask dad about that because I’m not sure… So I asked him and he said ‘sure! That’s a great idea!’ Just knowing that I had that covering is what I mean by safe.”

Learning how to step into place, growing children, and the heart of submission can be a juggle, especially if you are new to the task. “Someone that learns how to juggle doesn’t just pick up five balls and start juggling. They pick one up and get good at throwing and catching it, not just throwing it up a foot, but throwing it up three feet and catching it, because by the fifth ball, they have to have that one pretty high in order to juggle the other ones… There is a whole skillset that goes along with juggling.”

It can sometimes take a lifetime to truly master anything, but Anna has the life experience and metaphors to prove a great mastering of the principle of submission. At one point “there were a few of us sitting together and going ‘you know, we’ve learned all these things, we need to really share this…’” It was from this place that she wanted to create an atmosphere of safety for women to come and learn from one another.

“It’s my hope for everyone who comes to these conversations, especially those who are single, to glean from it… Even if you’re living at home with your parents, whatever your space is, that’s your space and it’s important to keep it tidy and make it a place of joy.”

Moving forward into the next year, Anna will be encouraging the women who meet every month in their capacity to juggle what is most important in their home. This can look different from one home to the next, but her prayer was akin to that of fashion: Everyone has one, let what you do in your home reflect the beauty you have to offer your husband, your kids, and everyone who walks through the door, and Christ will be magnified because you do.