By Patti Johnson
If you Google “What does a pastor’s wife do?” You get 114,000,000 results in 0.65 seconds. Ask “What does it mean to serve in ministry?” You get 327,000,000 results in 0.76 seconds. Do you have that much time to read all of those results? I sure don’t.
Especially in this time as we all try to determine how we fit into this “new normal” that is coming upon us, we need an anchor of confidence and surety as we step into these days. Even our comfortable roles will be carried out differently now with new expectations of social distancing and more.
So maybe that is not the question to ask. Perhaps the better question would be “What is required of ME…as God has instructed?”.
More certain, more centered more confident to carry out.
So, let’s ask God. These scriptures come to mind when I ponder that question.
Micah 6:8
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
and…
1 Thessalonians 4:11
“and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands…”
and…
1 Timothy 2:2
“for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
These verses of instruction and direction give me great comfort and peace. They speak to my attitude, my perspective and my actions. I love things to be spelled out very simply and to the point, easy to understand and easy to follow when you decide to please God with your life by following His instruction. That is so much easier and more reliable that pouring through the Google search results!
One of my favorite cakes to make with my mom growing up was 1,2,3,4 Cake. Below is its description.
“ The 1-2-3-4 cake gets its name from the proportions of its base ingredients: one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour, four eggs. It’s so straightforward, you may not even have to write it down—making it easy to impress friends and family with, oh, just a little something you whipped up.”
Even as a little girl, sitting on the chopping block in the kitchen it was easy to assist in this cake making. Once the ingredients were available to me, I just had to reach for what was required and place it in the mixing bowl.
God has given us as believers, as pastor’s wives, as those in all forms of ministry to carry out the simple recipe of what is required of us. We just need to reach for it and place it in the bowl of our life.
Take some time to read these verses and ponder what they may look like in your life as you carry them out.
I will give you one of my ponderings now… how do I understand this verse?
Micah 6:8 – “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Act justly: In God’s economy, His children earnestly desire to see God’s kingdom operating in the world as it is in heaven. In an unfair world, we should be a stabilizing force, helping to make the world a more equitable place to live. – CRU Ministry
Love mercy: Mercy is a “love that responds to human need in an unexpected or unmerited way.”
Walk Humbly:
“Give me a faithful heart, likeness to Thee.
That each departing day henceforth may see,
Some work of love of work begun, some deed of kindness done,”
Silvanus D. Phelps, “Something for Thee”, hymn
Now you ponder…
Next week I will share how I am learning to carry out each one in my role as a pastor’s wife. It also applies to all those you serve with and to those you serve.
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