"Don't do anything for the first six months"

This seems to be something that everyone says and on the whole, I guess it's pretty good advice. Particularly, if you've got older children and you need to spend time settling them in and making them feel as though you're still the same mum, there for them each day when they need you.

However, I've been surprised by my reaction to Rich's new job and, as I usually find with general principles and advice, it doesn't seem to be the right thing for me.

The Bible says that without vision the people perish and this is soooo true for me. I only need go a few seconds without a great sense of purpose and drive in my life and things dramatically fall apart. So I'm here watching Rich get started in his new job and suddenly I feel purposeless and out on a limb. Rich and I have always worked together to lesser or greater degrees and right now, this ministry stuff is all about him. While I recognise that this is now his day-in-day-out job and it frankly is about him, I felt God begin to speak to me too - that I must continue in my calling and not feel I have to sit back twiddling my thumbs while Rich enjoys his spotlight and just wait for the first six months to be over.

"Don't do anything for the first six months"? I think this advice is really to stop us from following other people's expectations and carrying on from where the last curate's wife finished off. We must give ourselves time and be realistic about the effect that the pressures of moving and so many new things have on us. But for me, I know I need to get started and that's what I want to do. My children are little and seem fine. I will watch and wait and see where God might be leading but it will be a proactive watching and a purposeful waiting and I will not hang back where I should be getting involved.