Miss Cold Feet

Dear DW,

 I’ve been dating a wonderful man for the last several months.  He is currently in school and is training for ministry.  We have casually spoken about marriage.  I really think he is a great guy and I can see myself married to him, but I’m a little nervous about the whole ministry thing.  I’ve read through some of your blogs and I don’t know if I can do this.  I want to be with this guy, maybe for the rest of my life, but I’m not sure I want to be a Pastor’s wife.  Am I just overreacting?

 Sincerely,

 Miss Cold Feet

 

 Dear Miss Cold Feet,

 You are NOT overreacting.  It is right for you to listen to that nervous inner voice telling you to pay attention and question your ability to live a ministry lifestyle.  A lot of people ignore that voice because they think marrying the man is separate from marrying the ministry.  It’s not.  Ministry is a “calling” and people are not easily separated from a “calling”.   If you get sick of church people and you beg him to become a plumber instead, it will never change what he believes God has asked him to do.  If he gets fired from a church and decides he never wants to be in ministry again, it will not change what God has asked him to do.  If he has truly been set apart for ministry, there’s nothing you or he can do to change God’s call on his life.  It will affect every aspect of your marriage.

 You need to seek God’s will for your life before you get any more involved with this man.  Fast and pray.  Have other people pray for you.  There’s only one question that you need to be asking of the Lord at this time and it’s not, “Can I make it as a pastor’s wife?”  You need to ask God, “What is my calling?”  If God has called you to ministry, He will give you all you need to be a pastor’s wife.  He will equip you and shape you into the woman He intends for you to be.  He will give you a heart to sacrifice so that people can hear about Jesus.

 You are fortunate that you still have a choice whether or not to marry this guy.  Many women marry the man of their dreams and then years later find themselves shocked to learn that their husband wants to be a pastor.  (But that’s a letter for another time.)  You still have a choice.  Choose wisely, Grasshopper.  This is the rest of your life. 

 What’s your calling?

 Love,

DW~

 Study I Timothy 3 and Titus 2 for insight into the ministry lifestyle

Big Mouth Spouse

Dear DW,

 I am a very opinionated person and I’m not afraid to speak my mind.  Can someone be too mouthy to be a pastor’s spouse?

 Big Mouth

Jackson, MS

 

 Dear Big Mouth,

Good News-there’s no mold; God calls all kinds of people to be pastor’s spouses…even the mouthy ones!  I don’t think that you have to go through a personality lobotomy to be a ministry spouse.  God uses all that we are for His glory.

However, having said that, I do think that it is important for ministry spouses to consider that they have a much bigger influence and responsibility than the normal person in church.  As a ministry spouse, your opinions not only represent you but can be mistakenly assumed to be the opinions of your spouse, your spouse’s ministry, and/or the whole church staff! 

Consider your audience when you give your opinion.  Is this something that might influence their spiritual life negatively if I say it?  “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” Colossians 4:5-6 

Use your mouthiness as a vehicle of grace.  It’s an honor and a trust for God to give ministry spouses such a big of a sphere of influence.  Be who you are.  God chose YOU for this role, not some mousy, shy, fading flower.  Trust that He knows what He’s doing. 

Love,

 DW~

Next week, I’ll go naked…

Dear DW,                                    

Last week the church secretary approached me during the worship service and commented on my dress.  She made sure to mention that it had been a long time since I had worn a dress and it was nice to finally see me in one.  The week before, a different lady told me how nice it was that I wear dresses every Sunday because it had become so rare to see that in church.  WHAT?!!!  #1) Why do they care so much what I wear?  #2)Whatever is clean is what gets put on the body that Sunday.  What’s up with the fashion police!?  Next week I think I’ll go naked and see what they have to say.  

Au Naturel in Jacksonville, FL

 

Dear Au Naturel,

Wow!  I guess you didn’t realize that when you became a ministry spouse you instantly turned into Jackie O.  How does that verse go- “Church ladies look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”- something like that (I Samuel 16:7). 

You made me laugh and I think that is the only way to deal with situations like yours.  Of course it is utterly ridiculous that these ladies have expectations of you regarding what you wear to church, but realistically, nothing you say or do is going to change their expectations of how you should clothe yourself for worship.  There are some things as a ministry spouse that we have to be sensitive about when it comes to the congregation and their opinions and feelings about us.  Clothing should not be one of them as long as you are biblical in your expression of it; “ Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;  but let it be the hidden person of the heart…” I Peter 3:3-4.   Be careful not to put too much stock in the ignorance of flippant comments.  Ministry is stressful enough without indulging every single expectation church people have of you.  Be comfortable in your own skin by knowing that you choose to please God first, the “paparazzi” second.  And as for going naked….intriguing… somehow I  think your husband might appreciate that much more than the church ladies!

Love,

DW

 

 

 

Overwhlemed Newlywed

Dear DW,

I’m newly married to a youth pastor.  He is a wonderful man and I am madly in love with him.  I’m just not so sure that I’m madly in love with being a pastor’s wife.  I want to support him, but this is not exactly what I had in mind when I dreamed about our future together.  I’m finding myself frustrated all the time- frustrated with teenagers, frustrated with church people, frustrated with our finances, and frustrated with our lack of time together.  When I said “I do”, I didn’t sign up for this. 

Help!

I’m Overwhelmed

Louisiana

Dear Overwhelmed,

I don’t really want to say this but the reality of your situation is that when you said “I do”, you did sign up for this kind of life.  Church people, teenagers, and financial struggles all come along with the “married-to-a-youth pastor” package.  However, while you do have to live with the lifestyle, you don’t have to live with the frustration.

 Some tips that might help:

 1)Set your boundaries. As a newlywed, this is a great time in your life to establish some strong boundaries between your personal life and the youth ministry.  My guess from your letter is that your personal life and your public life have been blending together.   Spend some time with your husband talking about how you are going to define your family life and how much of your private time you are going to share with ministry.   Regularly schedule time that is “ministry free”.  Yes, actually put it on his schedule.  If you don’t, someone else will fill that time for him.

 2)Find a mentor.  This does not necessarily have to be another pastor’s wife.  Choose someone who lives a very busy lifestyle and successfully maintains a close loving relationship with her husband.  Get to know her and search for the tools that make her marriage work.

3)Live on love! I Peter 4:8 says “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.”  This not only goes for you and your husband, but for church people, too.  Focusing on the “why” behind your sacrifice of time, money, and privacy will go a long way to helping you deal with the daily frustrations of ministry life.  Ask God to help you love these people the way that He loves them despite their faults.

With love,

DW~