Have You WALKED in His Shoes?

This week I had the opportunity to have lunch with a "new" Pastors wife. We were discussing some of the hard stuff, the stuff that is not so much fun about being a Pastor's wife, and the Lord brought several thoughts back to my heart.

He reminded me that being married to a man who shepherds sheep can be a frustrating journey at times. We share them with so many, on levels of intimacy that at times is not fun. To just sit and watch and ALWAYS have a "clean heart" can really be hard. Like at the end of the service when that pretty size 4 gorgeous woman wants to pray with my man, or when that "needy" family needs some of his wisdom, or when on holidays he always, yes always has one more thing that takes him away from the celebrations at our house.

He also reminded me that sometimes it is hard for the Pastor to keep His priorities inline. You know, God, Marriage, Family, and then the Church. I think this is one of the most difficult concepts and task for our men; learning that wife and family come before the church. It is hard for the Pastor AND hard for the church. Seperating "the church" from God seems a bit odd. But being seperated from your husband because of the church is not a good feeling either. AND we are to love, and grow in our walks with the Lord and his bride all the while? Ladies, that is hard!

The daily task of a man in ministry is a job like no other. It has a routine, a discipline that many a Pastor does not do well. My mother has a hard time with this one. She just does not understand how a man can be working when he is not at the office. To stay home to study, to get away from the busi-ness of the church office, it requires a quite place - mama just doesn't get that. Preparing for meetings, praying, writing materials, praying, reading, and oh, did I mention praying, requires some solitude. AND then there is that thing about HEARING from the Lord and what HE has to say to HIS people THROUGH my man. It requires some solitude to do all these things and much more - without interruption. That means WITHOUT a wife or children too. AND then you have to deal with those individuals who just don't get it. To many it is not considered work but rather "wasting time". What more important work is there?

I love it when the Lord is speaking to me. Directly to me!!! - AND, at the same time I am so glad that I do not have to weekly receive HIS words to deliver from a pulpit. What about if you don't get a word, what if it is something that you don't want to preach on, what if it stings when spoken? What if it makes the people mad (God forbid)? All this and more are his task - week in and week out. Yep, I think I will take just being the wife.

A wise Pastor's wife asked me the following question and I want to share it with you; but first let me prefice it with a little inside information. You see, my husband does NOT like to put his shoes in his closet - I mean he very seldom even thinks of taking his shoes off and putting them in there. SO..... I find them all over the house. I trip over them, step on them, they just are part of the decor most of the time around our home. But as I was complaining about this to my wise and older Pastor's wife, she said, "Have you walked in his shoes"? "What"? She said it to me again, "Have you walked in his shoes"? I asked the obvious question, "What do you mean"? "Have you taken the time to think about where those shoes have gone; to the hospital, to the funeral home, performed a wedding, beside the young man struggling with pornography, the mother whose daughter has an eating disorder, or in the home of the family who does not have enough money to pay their electric bill. Have you walked in his shoes"? She went one step further, she said, "slip your feet into his shoes, AND while you are WALKING IN THEM, (back to the closet) PRAY for your husband".

WOW!!! That stopped me in my tracks. Ladies, have you walked in your husband (Pastor's) shoes today? PRAY, pray hard. The task od his work may be emotionally sucking him dry and the one thing that might get him through the day is the prayers you offer up to the Father on his behalf. Prayers he never knows about, but prayers that sustain him through the day. Pray and pray hard AND while you're praying, walk those shoes back to his closet, he'll know how they got there and love you for it. AND if you are not a pastors wife, your husbands shoes need praying in too!!!