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| Sallman, Head of Christ |
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me,
because He counted me faithful, putting me in the ministry,
I Timothy 1:12 (NKJV)
Words of Paul
Paul originally was an enemy of Christianity. The Lord confronted Paul as he was on the way to cause havoc in Damascus. Paul does not keep his past life a secret. He uses the unusual and difficult circumstances he faced to highlight how much God means to him. (see Philippians 3:1-11).
Paul counted his heritage and the “perks” that went with it as rubbish. It did not matter to him. He had difficult times after he had met the Lord. Beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, beatings, having to escape from the crowds were all a part of his resume.
Each of us have experienced harsh times because we belong to Christ. Some of us may have had it “thrown in our faces” that we aren’t supposed to feel a certain way because we are “Christian”. I had a family member tell me that. Also, I remember hearing a pastor’s wife who had gone through rather deep depression telling a group of us that her family told her that she shouldn’t be going through that because, “After all, you are a pastor’s wife.”
Paul gives thanks for all Jesus has given him, both the good and ‘bad’ things, because the ‘good’ things are rewards and the ‘bad’ things made him stronger. Jesus does the same for us.
That poor Pastor's wife...being a Pastor's Wife can be a real reason for "depression", and I've seen it (and experienced it) for myself. People tend to put the Pastor's family on a pedestal and think that they can do no wrong, and then when they act like a "normal person" and have problems just like the rest of them, they can't understand it and become critical of them and want them to go away so they can shop for another more perfect pastor and family. Been there too many times in our years of the ministry. It is definitely not a job for the faint of heart. Pastors and their families are under attack from all sides. But thankfully Jesus gives us the strength and courage to keep moving forward as we put our trust in Him and try to stay focused on the real mission. Our Pastors and families need our prayers constantly, not our criticism.
ReplyDeletePam: I understand the depression a pastor's wife deals with. I have been rather close to several women who were pastor's wives. I pray for our present pastor's wife at least daily. At our women's Holiday Luncheon this past Thursday, she shared with me something that, at first, was a heart break for her and her husband. Please pray for her, her name is Cheryl. Peace and blessings to you and yours.
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