SPEAKER_03 0:00

God is so interesting in that he forms us in this hidden faithfulness and and then he makes the fruit public.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 0:09

And he is trusting us in these small things. And that's ultimately where character is built. That's where I see the hard conversations and the discipline.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Well, hello, friend. I'm so glad that you're tuning in today. Welcome to Team Not Tired. I'm Ashley Earwood. And I'm Shereen Crawford. And today we're going to be talking about the ministry of showing up. Shereen, talk to us about why it's important as women who are on mission to run their race with Grace at a sustainable pace. Why is it important that we keep showing up?

SPEAKER_03 0:59

I mean, there's so many reasons, and just for this particular, you know, 18-minute episode. But I think women in general have, and just being human, like we have this desire to have purpose in our life, especially like as women, we want our life to matter. And sometimes that's really hard when we are doing laundry and we're doing dishes and we're telling the same kid to pick up the same thing 20 minutes later. Like I mean that happens in your house too. Yes, it does. And so like those are the types of things of like I wanna I wanna have a conversation and try to encourage our listeners of like everyone wants their life to matter, but we have to show up in the repetitive things. And the ministry of showing up is so crucial to what we do every single day.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Yeah. Why do you think it's so hard for us to feel like the mundane things matter?

SPEAKER_03 2:18

I I mean, in my personal opinion, I think this is one of the points that I had. So we'll just jump right over, which is amazing because you're right. And and we talk to like a ton of women, right? And we lead teams, and and it's a recurring question or frustration or this rub that women in particular carry. And I think one of the things is like ordinary does not mean insignificant. Like, because there's no visibility to it, there's no platform. There, I mean, like, of course, if you're on Instagram and you're a trad wife and you're recording your entire life and your sourdough, you know, like I I I wish, right? My my sister makes sourdough and then it's delicious.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

We're just jealous. This is no hate. We're just jealous because we don't make sourdough.

SPEAKER_03 3:18

I I mean, like, if you make sourdough, my address is but but I I think that is the rub of like there's no platform, there's no applause, there's no visibility, and and just because something is repetitive does not mean that it's meaningless. And I think like this past summer we went to the pool, and you know, I love to swim, my girls love to swim, and it's just interesting to see it's like, hey mom, watch, hey mom, watch, hey mom, watch. And literally, are they doing anything new? Nope, nope, they're literally finding the most joy of getting out of the pool, jumping in, getting out of the pool, jumping in, getting out of the pool, jumping in. And it's like that that childlike faith that I get to witness of this ordinary thing that brings them so much joy. And I don't have joy in the ordinary things. And I have been really convicted in this aspect of like, Lord, I'm literally walking in answered prayers, and I still find myself asking for more. And I even, you know, I was I was at this party, and it was my husband Blake, producer Blake, and then my my sister, and I was like, they were asking me something, and I don't remember what the initial question was, but I just remember looking at them and I said, I just want my life to matter. I just want to add value to the life that I've been given. And at the same time, I'm also like, why am I doing too much? You know, like I'm out here doing both, talking out of two sides of my mouth. And I I just found that I don't take pleasure in the ordinary things, and sometimes my attitude in showing up in that ministry sometimes is not Christ-like. And so I am really trying to walk this out because you know, I I'm changed jobs and I'm home more, and this is the first time like I am home more. And there are things where I'm like, why are we this way? You know, like why, why? But I I think it's God is so interesting in that he forms us in this hidden faithfulness, and and then he makes the fruit public.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:10

And he is trusting us in these small things, and that's ultimately where character is built. That's where I see the hard conversations and the discipline of like even raising my girls and like the conversations that we have, and you know, the what I would call outburst. And that's categorizing it very nicely. But I think those are the really interesting things that that's where things are really formed is in the mundane, ordinary things, and and it says in Luke 16, 10 of whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. And sometimes that seed of in like you're just invisible takes a really long time to grow. Like I wanted to buy an avocado tree because I'm tired of buying avocados at so many bajillion dollars.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Please do so you can share with your friends.

SPEAKER_03 7:19

But like that, that was the like incredible thing when I was like doing my quick little Google search of like you some depending on the the maturity of the tree will depend on when you can actually enjoy the fruit. Sometimes it's years and decade. It was like a decade. What? Yeah, for like a baby tree. And I was like, I ain't waiting no 10 years, Lord.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

That that reminds me that that like season of hiddenness that we all kind of hate is actually such a gift. Yes, because that to your point of like just that faithfulness of being consistent, of showing up, of continuing to be faithful, even when you feel unseen, like that's the work. Yes, that's the hidden work. I read this incredible book that I recommend all the time to people. I've probably recommended it to you at some point in our friendship, but it's called Anonymous. Yeah, I it's like it on my show. Yeah, it's a great by Alicia Brit Schole. And I read it when I right after I had my first child, and I was struggling so much with feeling insignificant because all the work, all the output of, you know, having babies, raising a family, feeling like you were putting other things on hold. Yes. I just so related to this concept of, you know, she she talks in the book about the importance of Jesus's hidden years and how that informed his ministry. You know, 30 hidden years led to three years of ministry and how we just want to bypass our hidden years, yeah, where he's really trying to cultivate things in us so that we can be fruitful.

SPEAKER_03 9:12

And and it we should not fast forward that that part because showing up for your kids' work, working with integrity, showing up for your church teams, like managing your team, the prayer we were just talking about, like just on a personal level, but like friends who need your help, like those are the things of like uh showing up. And and like sure it's inconvenient in a lot of different ways, and it's the most beautiful thing to uh to be fortified in in that hiddenness and to kind of till the soil, so to speak. Of you know, we're just gonna keep doing this and we're gonna keep getting to the root of all the things, and and knowing that that is so spiritual, and we we have to invest in the soil. We just have to, because that the next thing is like showing up is is a spiritual thing. It it's not just a practical thing in ministry, but our presence matters, especially when it comes to being a mom and encouraging people and like following up that matters, like and the love often looks like being dependable, being that dependable friend, being that dependable employee, being that dependable volunteer of showing up at the same church service for decades of time. How faithful and monotonous, you know, like I think it that's the duality, but I think it's so important in all these different ways, but especially for women, because sometimes the ministry is not like the extra thing, sometimes it's the ministry is the way that you show up to the thing that is right in front of you.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

Yeah, I love I love that perspective because uh a fruit of the spirit is faithfulness. And so, you know, you can call it monotony, sure, or you can call it a fruit of the spirit, but being faithful to show up, to be consistent. Yes. Paul and I were just on a we did like an Instagram live together yesterday about marriage. And we were answering marriage questions, and the theme that kept coming back over and over was just the importance of consistency. And it's like you can overcome a lot right in a marriage or any type of situation. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 12:01

If you just show up and be consistent over time, right, like checking up on that friend, giving a hug, like checking up on your kids and making sure that they have everything that they need and like having that hard conversation, knowing that every time you come to Shereen Crawford, you're going to get X. Like it's so important to handle those things with grace, but you have to show up. And how you show up is so important. And even I was telling my team the other day of like, if I were to ask the team what it's like for you to show up in that building, what do you think they're gonna tell me? Like, what do you think your personal brand is? Tell me a little bit more of how you want to show up, and like it it kind of pulls the thread of asking really inquisitive questions like you were mentioning in in other episode or future episode, but I think like that is so important for someone who is gonna show up. What is that gonna look like? And what do you want people to to take away when you do show up? It's like, oh no. You know, especially because sometimes our titles will enter the room before we do. And I have found this in my career of like, I know that I have to go in a little bit more tenderly. I as much as sometimes I need to go in there guns blazing, but I need to also be very aware of that. And that matters. Showing up matters because for women, we've we've put a lot of dreams on the shelf. We've put our heart's desire on the back burner because, you know, like you mentioned, of raising a family and and your priority shift, or you know, walking through a health journey, like career, everything was on hold. And and that is sometimes I fit find that women will also just stay there.

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Right.

SPEAKER_03 14:13

And so they're not in the game, and they're working in a past season that doesn't work for their current future, right? And so some I know you get real fired up about this, which I love. I love to see kind of like spicy Ashley.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Can we just like we'll also say that for the rant episode as well?

SPEAKER_03 14:38

But I think it's so important that, you know, because sometimes it is a long time for women to kind of, you know, show up in the ordinary, insignificant things, but having that mind shift, knowing and being very aware of the season that you're maybe walking into, or the season that you're in of like the kids are getting older, and I'm not as needed and necessary in this area of my life. And it's like, all right, babe, no longer can you sit on the sidelines, no longer can you like just say, Oh, well, my time has passed? No, yeah, like absolutely not. And some are not tired because they haven't done anything. Like, real talk, real talk. Like, you can't be tired, babe.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

Nope, we can't stay stuck. We have to keep showing up in new ways and new seasons. I what's the difference to you between somebody, you know, showing up for others and then showing up for themselves? Oh, I love that question because I I will say it depends.

SPEAKER_03 15:50

And I know that's like a broad stroke, and it's such like my team hates when I give that answer, but it really depends, right? Depends on the season you're in. It depends on what God's asking you. It it depends, but I think showing up for yourself, and I was literally talking to a young adult last night about how do they show up for themselves? How do you show up for your healing when God is asking you to heal? How are you going to till that soil? How are you approaching that? How are you approaching God in that season? You know, so I think it just it depends, but I'm a huge advocate and I and like this is also, and this is just a side note, since you brought up marriage, it matters who you marry. That really is a mantle decision. You have to be super prayerful because I have an exceptional husband.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

Like a good one.

SPEAKER_03 16:49

I do. And so we we we talk often and I I solicit feedback from my husband, which I know some of you guys are not surprised, but also probably surprised. Because I asked him, I was like, what's the one thing you wish I would do more for myself? And his answer was, I wish you would take better care of yourself. And I was like, How so? Like, what do you mean? And he's like, you know, all those gift cards I got you to wine and roses that just like sit there, which you know, which is a spa that is in our local community. He's like, Why don't you like, I don't know, use those? And so I I think it depends on the season that you're in. But I think showing up for yourself and investing in yourself, I think is wildly important. And I don't think that it's selfish. And I I do think that it depends on your partner, your husband, of who you're you're yoked up with, of do you have their support? Is that the right season for both of you? You know, those are good questions to ask, but I I would say currently in the season that I am in, I'm always well into like development and those types of things, and then putting them into action, but I'm also listening to my partner as well. Like there, I'm I'm missing something and I'm not taking care of myself in the ways that I need to. And so that impacts the way that I show up for others, for others, exactly. And so I need to, you know, we we've all heard this and we all low-key roll our eyes of like, let's put the oxygen mask on ourselves for like, okay, all right. But at the same time, I think that is important. We are worth the investment of showing up for ourselves because at the end of the day, no one else is gonna do that work for you. And I think to answer your your other question is like, I really don't think that it's selfish. We have to be mindful of because sometimes it impacts our finances and the you know, the family itself. Like, if I say yes to this, that means no to other responsibilities. And I think that matters as well, of taking on what does this mean if I show up to showing up for myself. And I think that's so important. And women oftentimes, and we know this because we've walked through it, and sometimes still in some areas, I will say that I show up really well for myself, and in others I I don't. And I wish that I would. But I'm learning, I'm getting in the the reps, even though it's like very messy, and my husband's like, can we can we just do this rep together? So I think it depends. So I think another aspect of what women do is because we're so preconditioned to put ourselves on the back burner and put all our hopes, desires, career, all that stuff, we shrink and then we never expand. And so we just play really small in our life. And I I don't know about you, but that insecurity and comparison, and well, I don't, you know, I I have some fear in that. I I think that also plays a part as to why so many women are not in the game, so to speak. They're not living to the full potential that God has for them, or you know, the at the very least, they're not even like volunteering at church. And it's like, that's how I meet all my friends. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:51

Yeah. I like I like that you brought that up because there's there's opportunities to show up in things that feel mundane. And I think that oftentimes we maybe dismiss them out of fear, out of anxiety, you know, or uh insecurity, but also just because they're not flashy. Yeah. But there's actually a lot of benefit and to your point, you know, like community to be found or joy to be found or pleasure to be found in sometimes the mundane things that God asks us to do and calls us to. It's all about just our perspective, though, in how we perceive those things. Right. I it's rare for me, but I was like home the other day, it was my day off, and I found myself having to like catch up on a lot of house stuff, sure. Just like groceries and laundry and things like that, you know, errands. And like normally I think I would have been really frustrated that that's how I was spending my day off. But, you know, for some reason, by the grace of God, like my mind was right. And so I actually found myself at the end of the day like being really grateful, yeah, and like finding joy in having a day that I could take care of my family in my home when normally I'm at the office or working or in meetings or meeting with people. And I was like, man, what this was actually really pleasurable because I got to do a different kind of work and nobody's gonna see it. And it's very rare to get a thank you. Yeah. Nobody's gonna get me a medal for folding my husband's. Thanks for getting my favorite ice cream. Yeah, you know, but but there was just the level of like joy in service. And I think if if we can walk away with anything today, it's like not to dismiss the mundane, yeah, but actually see it as ministry.

SPEAKER_03 22:48

Yeah, the the ministry of showing up, like God sees the unseen. He sees all those things. Like, you know, especially like you mentioned, like I'm having to spend my day off doing all of these things. God sees that, and he he appreciates the very fact that that's a quiet obedience that we need to carry, we need to do. And I think that also goes into like the repetitive prayers, the faithfulness, the the the little things that we consistently do to show people, like you said, even our spouses of like, hey, I'm showing up for you in this consistent way is like super important. And and for the women that maybe are fearful and on the sidelines and and like, well, I'm not qualified to be in the game, like you 100% are qualified, and it's almost so necessary for you to get into the game because that at the very least of showing up can be your ministry, and that could be a great example to the next generation of women of like, hey, I can show up differently and it can still be really holy.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

That's good. That's really good, friend. Yeah, for for those that are listening today that you know feel like they're in they're insignificant, they're unseen, or they're ready to quit, just hear it from a couple sisters today. Like, keep going, keep showing up, keep being faithful to what God's put in front of you. He sees you, he appreciates what you're doing. And if anything, like just know that we're cheering you on.

SPEAKER_03 24:32

Yeah, we are.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

So there's there's ministry to be had in the mundane, and all of us are called to just be faithful and to be consistent and to run our race well. And so you can't run your race well, and you can't finish well if you don't keep showing up. Yes. So keep showing up, friends. We're cheering you on, and we're really glad that you're part of the team. Thanks for being here today.