I’ve decided to start a series. There is no schedule for the series, but The Hunk shared something with me the other night about the struggles of another pastor’s wife and I said, “Well, I wish someone would say that out loud! It’d make me feel a whole lot more normal!”
This is me saying it out loud.
If a child is sick, Mama will be the one missing out on church to provide care for said sick child. Although at this current phase of life with only one child, this isn’t a huge deal, I can see that if we do get up to say, four, children, the odds of having one of them sick on a church day will increase greatly. On days like today when I really would have liked to attend church; could have seriously used some time as an adult learning more about God’s Word; would have totally benefited from some corporate worship, I must instead be at home caring for a very whiny, mildly feverish, super cabin-fever ridden two year old.
And the doing it, providing the care and missing out on the spiritual nourishment, that’s not even the hardest part. The hardest part is not striving to be sure that my Hunk knows how hard it is for me – not sighing and heaving and cold shouldering all over him upon his departure and arrival home. The hardest part is serving selflessly – because I love him and I love the Jesus we serve together. The hardest part is when said sick two year old is crying and repeating over and again, “I don’t want my Daddy weave me. I want my Daddy stay heuh all day, all day,” to make the choice to tell her that it’s a good thing for Daddy to go to work. He gets to talk to people about Jesus! The hardest part is choosing to believe that statement myself.
Let me be clear about my intentions here: I am not in any way seeking to be a martyr for poor pastor’s wives every where. The truth is, I don’t know how you doctor’s, lawyer’s, realtor’s, small business owner’s wives do it. And today’s entry really isn’t supremely significant but it feels pretty legit in my life right now so maybe it’ll feel legit in yours or in that of some other semi-isolated occupational ministry wife.
There will be positive entries. There are some really great things about being a pastor’s wife! Promise 🙂
Keep on keepin’ it down and dirty. Love y’all like crazy!
I know how you feel; been there myself with 4 kids. Hang in there!