Turn on a Dime
Ever heard the phrase, turn on a dime? It refers to vehicles making tight turns or reversing direction with such a small berth that it could almost take place on the head of a dime--so to speak.
In the midst of all that, did I perhaps have any of my own plans for the day or commitments of my own? Does it even matter? The thing is, I'm Mom and in this house, Mom = Dime. We'll take the car/dime analogy a bit farther. As moms, we're the dime on the road. The cars whiz by, going about their business, but when they need to turn or reverse and go the other way, they all seem to need to do it on top of that dime (ie, RIGHT NOW!) and often at the same time.
Sometimes, we have to let careers, jobs, schooling, housework, church commitments, projects for the school, P.T.A., and a host of other responsibilities share space on that dime with our kids and husbands. Somehow, it's not usually a problem when it's all moving along at the proper speed and in the direction we're accustomed to. It's when even one thing wants to flip around and go the other way that we find ourselves at the bottom of a pile-up.
In fact--and this is completely true--as I was typing the paragraphs above, I got a call from my daughter's school. Apparently she and a friend decided to have a breath-holding contest in the lunch line at school. Emily won. She held her breath so long she passed out and hit her head on the floor. Obviously, whatever I had planned for the afternoon was immediately set aside as I rushed to the school to attend to her needs. Thankfully, she's fine--a little shook up and embarrassed, but fine.
Then, this evening, as I was preparing dinner for company that was due to arrive in about an hour, my hubby decided it was time to move the new central air unit from the garage to its new home outside, and he needed my help. Never mind that I had food on the stove. Never mind the unit won't be hooked up for several weeks. Never mind that it won't even be turned on for months. It had to be done--Now!
So, what does it mean to be to be a "dime"? Two words: servant leader. I'm sure I'll hit on this subject more in upcoming articles because it's one of my pet topics, but, today I'll just explain what I think of when I hear the term "servant leader". Immediately, my mind goes to Jesus, the ultimate servant leader. He created a hierarchy for the body of Christ that exists and has success by being the exact opposite of the worldly hierarchy.
Picture a pyramid. In the business world, the work-a-day minions are on the bottom, middle managers next, executives above them and the C.E.O. right on top. Not so in Christendom. Jesus turned that 
pyramid upside down, placing himself at the bottom, pastors and church leaders about him and faithful followers even higher up, etc.
pyramid upside down, placing himself at the bottom, pastors and church leaders about him and faithful followers even higher up, etc.
As Moms, we need to see our role as that of Christ. Turn the pyramid upside down in your home. Serve your family, serve your church and put the needs of others above your own. Not because you don't matter, but because they matter so much. That's how Jesus served you, and it's what he asks of you.
Take a look at what Jesus answered when he was asked how one might become great in the kingdom of God.
"...Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. And whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be serve, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:43-54, NIV).
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant" (Philippians 2:5-7, NIV).
So, in your role as a mother in a full house, be ready to be a servant leader so you can turn on a dime.
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