A life in ministry ultimately calls us to one thing: a hope for
a greater glory than current circumstances reveal. I can't think of
a higher charge than the invitation to participate in God's good
intentions toward His creation. Sarah considered God faithful in
His promises toward her, and because of that, she was able to look
past the difficult years of childlessn ess and hold the manifestation of
God's blessing in her own arms.
    "I don't know of any other occupation that my husband
could have that would require me to be a part of the 'package
deal' (for free) except the ministry. That took some getting
used to!" Sherry @ Life at the Parsonage
    "It's easy to spot a woman who's happy for and proud of
her husband's life/accomplishments/calling. It may not be
easy for her to 'follow' when she is in the background with
young children (early on), but she is proud of her man's walk
and character. That is a beautiful thing to
(layperson) @All Things Work Together
    I still have no idea what possessed me the day I went shopping
and managed to migrate from leggings with an oversized tunic to my
first birdhouse-embroidered sweater and elastic-waist slacks. (Slacks!
That word still makes me cringe!) To complete the look, I purchased
a pair of sensible loafers. I was swollen with pride to have found
something that made me look so religious and couldn't wait to get
home so I could model this new outfit for Luke.
    As I twirled around amid the birds and kittens on my fetching
little cardigan, I asked him one of the most dangerous questions a
wife can pose to her husband: ((How do I look?" Without a moment's
hesitation he answered with the fail-safe phrase every guy keeps
tucked away for such a time as this: ((That's nice, honey." (Luke
is such a trooper. He smiled graciously right through the look of
confusion on his face.) I remember feeling transformed as I looked
at this new woman in the mirror. One pleasing word came to
mind appropriate.
    And that was the guiding theme of my new life as the wife of
a minister-in-training. Was I dressing appropriately? Acting appropriately?
Speaking appropriately? I was determined I wasn't going
to embarrass Luke or prove God made a mistake by entrusting His
man to me. I continued my Extreme Makeover by toning down my
loud-laughing, much-talking, annoying personality and adding a bit
of "Christianese" to my conversations. <<Dinner tonight was SUCH
a BLAST!" turned into a demure <<Bless you for welcoming us in
your home." Not that I wasn't blessed, mind you. That just wasn't a
genuine way personally for me to express it.
    In responses to the survey on my blog regarding the pressures
of ministry, I was absolutely appalled to hear that one of my sisters
actually served alongside her husband in a congregation that
expected her to be involved in the women's ministry board as well as
to attend every meeting and function. They wanted to be so clear in
their expectations that they wrote this into the church bylaws!
    My first reaction was not one I'd like to detail here. However,
I will share my second reaction: "Well, at least they had the guts to
admit on paper what many expect in principle." It's interesting to
me the insanely loud ways in which people attempt to fill biblical
silence.