by Betsy Riccuci
As pastors wives we are familiar with the verses found in I Timothy 3:2-7 which delineate in detail the qualifications of an elder/pastor. These verses inspire reverence, awe and a deep desire to come alongside and help our husbands fulfill these qualifications. However, we can be tempted to skip right over verse one of this passage and really start paying attention at verse two thinking, ‘that’s the point where the real instructions kick in’. Verse two begins with the word: “Therefore”, which is a connection word. It informs us that what is to come is founded on what was written before and cannot be separated from verse one. Let’s take a look at I Timothy 3:1. “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” Wow! There is so much in this verse to encourage us as wives of pastors. Whenever Paul writes: “The saying is trustworthy”, which he does in several of his letters, he is telling us: “What is coming next is very important! Pay close attention to what I am about to say!” This is what we are to take note of: “If any one aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” Have you ever stopped to consider that God’s estimation of pastoring is that it is a noble (excellent, fair, fine, honorable, high, beautiful and good) task? Have you ever considered that the very desire to aspire to this noble calling in your husband’s heart (and in your heart as his helper) was not self-generated but instilled in you by God Himself? Amazing grace! Never again read I Timothy 3:1-7 without lingering long over verse one first! Though we can often be so aware of the necessary qualifications of pastors, the responsibilities of pastoring, the sacrifices and cost of pastoring, let's be reminded today that it is a noble task, given by God and one filled with privileges, opportunities and great reward!
Privileges:
We have the privilege to serve those Christ gave His life for. To participate in any way in what God is doing in the lives of those He died to save is such an undeserved honor. The fact that He not only invites, but has uniquely called flawed vessels to be used by Him to help others is both humbling and amazing. When I walk into church Sunday mornings or have folks in our home I am often reminded of the words penned by Isaac Watts:
“Oft have my heart and tongue confess’d
How empty and how poor I am”…(don’t we feel that way as we look at our inadequacies and weaknesses as pastors’ wives? But he doesn’t end there!)
“Yet, Lord, Thy saints on earth may reap
Some profit by the good we do;
These are the company I keep,
These are the choices friends I know.”
Isn’t it true that the dear saints that fill our churches are indeed the choicest friends we know?! They are here worshipping God, eagerly listening to and applying God’s Word, joyfully serving one another, fighting sin together. Why are we so privileged to know, learn from, walk alongside and serve these dear people? Because God is good and full of kindness, that’s why!
Opportunities:
You know what else fills my mind when I walk through those doors Sunday mornings or open my front door to welcome folks into my home? It’s that “Too many Christians are more readily aware of the absence of God than they are the presence of God, and they are more aware of sin than they are of grace.” (Humility, True Greatness, C.J. Mahaney) I see opportunities through those doors! Opportunities to help others see God at work! We have the opportunity to greet, remember a new person’s name, give a hug, comfort, encourage, listen to, pray for, draw out, thank, to name a few. Don’t underestimate the blessing in the smallest of opportunities! I have had visitors and new members relay to me how meaningful it was to them that I remembered their name. (Here’s a tip girls! Write the names of the new folks you meet at the top of your Sunday message notes! I don’t rely on my old gray cells!) May we revel in he many opportunities God gives us to make others aware of His love.
Rewards:
For the rewards of being a pastor’s wife, I’ll leave it to the incomparable pen of Mr. Spurgeon to inspire and encourage us from this passage in Proverbs 11:25
“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
And one who waters will himself be watered."
“We are here taught the great lesson, that to get, we must give; that to accumulate, we must scatter; that to make ourselves happy, we must make others happy; and that in order to become spiritually vigorous, we must seek the spiritual good of others. In watering others, we are ourselves watered. How? Our efforts to be useful bring out our powers for usefulness. We have latent talents and dormant faculties, which are brought to light by exercise. Our strength for labour is hidden even from ourselves, until we venture forth to fight the Lord’s battles, or to climb the mountains of difficulty. We do not know what tender sympathies we possess until we try to dry the widow’s tears, and soothe the orphan’s grief.
We often find in attempting to teach others, that we gain instruction for ourselves. Oh, what gracious lessons some of us have learned at sick beds! We went to teach the Scriptures, we came away blushing that we knew so little of them. In our converse with poor saints, we are taught the way of God more perfectly for ourselves and get a deeper insight into divine truth. So that watering others makes us humble. We discover how much grace there is where we had not looked for it; and how much the poor saint may outstrip us in knowledge. Our own comfort is also increased by our working for others. We endeavour to cheer them, and the consolation gladdens our own heart. Like the two men in the snow; one chafed the other’s limbs to keep him from dying, and in so doing kept his own blood in circulation, and saved his own life. The poor widow of Sarepta gave from her scanty store a supply for the prophet’s wants, and from that day she never again knew what want was. Give, then, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and running over.” Morning and Evening, August 21
I am so aware of the labors of love you embrace on a daily basis as wives of pastors! Thank you for your love, passion and devotion to the Savior, your husbands, children, homes and churches. My prayer is, dear pastors’ wives, that amidst the numerous sacrifices, may your awareness of the privileges outnumber them, in the daily labors, may the opportunities to experience and share God’s love outpace them, and amidst the heavy costs, may the sure reaping (Galatians 6:9-10) of rewards out weigh them and strengthen your heart as you serve alongside your husband in this noble task.
