I have been thinking, since I posted the "Platform" that there are probably some who might be inclined the diminish the validity of their platform- since they are not out in the work place and in the world as much as I am. Those I am thinking of are the moms and wives.
My post was not intended to be geared toward those who are out in the world. We each have our own platform and I don't want to be a discouragement to those who God has given the privilege of impacting the Kingdom in any way.
So I want to address, briefly, that platform and those of you who are in that world can certainly add to this. There is no more important "job" for a wife than to be her husband's helper and, if God blesses the family with children, to then be a mom. In each of those arenas there are platforms.
A wife has a unique platform in her husband's life. He may be her biggest influence. A wife can impact her husband in the most amazing way and often that can be done w/o her husband even really knowing what she is doing. A wife who respects and honors her husband has an incredible platform with him and God also may give her a platform with other women as they watch her interact with her own husband- who may be totally undeserving of that respect- they may be encouraged to treat their husbands in a more godly fashion. We men need to be respected and our society does just about everything to undermine that.
The second thing a woman can do to maximize her platform is with her children. This is an amazing opportunity, especially as they grow up. Please do not consider your platform inferior to someone else's because you are a stay at home mom. You are impacting the world and your children, that God has entrusted to you, are the next generation of leaders and they can be the ones that are used in some incredible way by God. Calvin, Taylor, Luther, Bunyan... all had mom's who may have considered their "work" as mundane and pointless, but that is where God had placed them and if they were not faithful in that task their children would not have been who God made them to be. Don't lose heart.
Also, I see their platform as going through check out lines- be purposeful in the small amount of time you have there. Most people who go through the checkout line are not encouraging to the checker- that is a good platform. I am not grocery shopping nearly as often as Teresa is- she has a different platform than I do.
What about being a room mom at school? You can add to your platform there. The kids in the room and the other moms can be encouraged, not to mention the teacher.
The woman's own parents and siblings are on her platform. Often this can be a difficult platform because they may only see her for who she used to be, but over time this too can be changed. Don't devalue the impact you can and are having with those who are older than you. Your big brother is watching how you treat your husband at Thanksgiving or Christmas. He may mock you today but he is watching and if you do it God's way he can't help but notice you are different than most women.
You can add much more to this than I am able, since it is your platform. I just wanted to make sure I included some thoughts to that end and to encourage you women that you have a platform that is often at least as large as those who are out in the workplace.
The entire point is that we all have a different platform and I am not going to be held accountable for your platform nor you for mine. God has given us each unique gifts and talents and platforms and those are what He expects us to be using for His glory- no matter what that looks like. BTW- your platform can and does change. If your child goes to the hospital, your platform has just increased.
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