His Glory My Joy, a blog of Author Luana Ehrlich

A conversation I had with a young woman in one of the first churches where my husband was pastor came to my mind today.  I’m sure it’s because I’m about to leave my role as “the pastor’s wife” when my husband retires from our church this month.  She asked me, “How can you survive as a pastor’s wife?”  If I recall correctly, we were standing in the foyer just before the church was to vote on a controversial topic, and she knew several church members were against my husband’s stand on the subject.  What I don’t remember is my answer. 

How would I answer that question today after 45 years of being a pastor’s wife?  The question itself implies my role is a difficult one.  While I can only speak for myself and my own experiences, being the wife of a minister has never seemed an impossibly tough and demanding way of life that I had to survive.  I am not so naïve, however, not to realize how many ministers’ wives chafe and struggle under this mantle, hating the scrutiny, the pressures, and the expectations. 

Whether it was because I transitioned from being a preacher’s daughter to a pastor’s wife in one single day when I was 18 years old and said “I do,” or whether it was because I felt the call of God upon my life to some type of Christian service when I was a teenager, (and I suspect it was a combination of both) I walked into our first church loving both the title and the responsibilities of my role. 

During the years that followed that first pastorate, I’ve continued to enjoy serving my Lord as the wife of a pastor.  I can think of at least four reasons why I’ve lived in this role so easily.  First, I love the pastor.  I believe the Lord called James to be His spokesman, and He created love in my heart for him, and thus also created a love for the task He gave to James.  I’m proud and happy to be the wife of the pastor, because I’m proud of him and happy with him.

Secondly, I accept the person God made me to be.  I am not a children’s worker, a choir director, a women’s coordinator; nor am I called to serve in the myriad of other necessary positions in the church.  While I am able to function fairly well in many different capacities, I have discovered my calling is to adults, specifically teaching the Bible to adults.  I also know the limitations of my personality.  I feel emotionally and physically drained after working with people, while some people seem supernaturally energized as they work with others.  Knowing the other gifts and traits the Lord has given me, enables me to function joyfully as a pastor’s wife.

Thirdly, I seek the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.  While teaching is one of my spiritual gifts, I am more introvert than I am an extrovert.  It takes the power and strength of His Spirit to enable me not only to use the gifts I’ve been given, but also to display the fruit of His Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

And, lastly, I spend time daily in His Word.  I listed this reason last because I believe it is the foundational stone on which the other reasons are built.  I could not love my husband, know myself or be filled with His Spirit, if I were not reading His Word and praying that Word back to Him on a daily basis. 

While these reasons answer the question of how I have thrived as a pastor’s wife instead of just surviving, my prayer is that in everything I have brought Him glory. (Colossians 3:17)