Today I responded to a thought-provoking, passion-stirring question on "The Preacher's Wife" blog. She's writing a book about ministers' wives, so of course, I'm interested. One of these days, I'll have to post my (tongue-in-cheek) top 10 most important lessons to be a good minister's wife...one of these days I don't shy away from offending folks. :-)
Anyway, The Preacher's Wife asked if we felt called with our husbands into ministry. Have we ever been reluctant, and if so, how did that affect our husband's ministry? Have we ever observed other ministers' wives who didn't feel "called"?
Growing up as a preacher's kid, there were definitely times I wished my dad was not in the ministry. When we lived at pastoriums, we got plenty of surprise knocks at the door at all hours...I remember times Mom and I would elbow each other and wince during church, dreading the reaction to what Daddy had just said...moving now and then...being seen as goody-goody not because I was a Christian, but because my dad was a preacher....especially being hurt and seeing my dad suffer as he was hurt by those he tried to pour his life into. No, I definitely didn't want to marry a minister.
Yet, here I am today, married to a what? A minister.
Actually, I didn't marry the title, "minister," I married Gunter. All Christians are called by God to minister where we are, but Gunter just so happens to have a strong calling on his life to minister in churches right now. Even before we started dating, I watched Gunter's passions grow, and I knew they would lead him to something special. I saw God shaping him and getting rid of some rough spots, just like He was doing to me. At some point, I realized I couldn't be satisfied with merely filling a pew every Sunday.
We've only been married for two years, and we don't have children yet. Our church has absolutely spoiled us, so ministry has been a fun adventure so far. I know it won't always be roses, but I pray I'll hang in there through the good and the not-so-good as a useful helper for my amazing, admirable man.
So finally, I get to the part about spiritual gifts. In youth Sunday school, we took a quiz to help identify our spiritual gifts. The youth guessed my primary before we even took the quiz -- administration, then exhortation and (surprise!) mercy. I really think I developed mercy during chemo. It used to be my lowest. Gunter's main gifts were teaching, service then a tie among several.
It got me thinking -- how can I use my spiritual gifts to complement his, and vice versa? It's a good question for any married couple, not just a minister's wife seeking to refine her role with each new stage. What are your spiritual gifts, and how do you use them to benefit others, including family members or spouses?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Mike and I took the spiritual gifts quiz a couple of months ago, and I think mine have changed too. Mike scored high in administration, so I've been joking that maybe he should follow in his mom's footsteps and become a pastor's secretary. Maybe one day he can work for Gunter, haha!
It's amazing that Luke and I are polar opposites but it totally works for us. I'm the outgoing one so I carry him in social stuff. He is the more contemplative, careful one and has kept my foot out of my mouth more times than I'd like to count.
Thanks so much for linking to the blogroll! :)
Post a Comment