By Sally Illman, Connections Presbyterian Church, Huntsville, AL
What an adventure this
life can be! And I think that being a church planter’s wife means that
regarding the spirit of adventure, we say, “Bring it on!”, even if in reality,
we have no idea what that means. In the beginning, we tell God that we
understand that this is a calling - something that He has chosen us for by
virtue of being the wife of a man who feels called to be a church planter. For we are God’s workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians
2:10). We also know, by that same
understanding, that our children are called to be “PKs” (preacher’s kids) with
all the responsibilities and privileges that come with that calling.
But, there are a three
other things that I have found need to be recognized. One is that we need to expect the unexpected. When the
demographics of the people we expect to flock to our new church don’t work out
the way we carefully planned (despite the fact that our husbands are the most
gifted preachers and pastors the world has ever seen), when the church still
doesn’t grow, and when we struggle financially even though we had it all figured out, we still need to
remember Who is in charge. God says,
“For I know the plans I have for
you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
When we are able to
remember that God does have a plan for us, and it may not be the same as what
we planned, we can then recognize the second thing. We need to be flexible. Flexibility is definitely
a heart issue because it involves trusting God for His ways, not ours. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and
lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and he
will make your paths straight (Proverbs
3:5-6); "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways
my ways,” declares the LORD (Isaiah 55:8).
In order to maintain
flexibility, the third part comes. We need to stay in the Word. But also, there needs to be times for reflection. Amidst
the busyness of life, there has to be time to get away and ponder God. For me it’s my Bible, a pen, and my
journal - no phone with games and Facebook to distract, no book or Kindle to
divert my attention, just God and me. Wait
for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD (Psalm 27:1). While I’m pondering and
pouring my heart out before the Lord – “God, I can’t do this anymore! It’s too
hard, and You’re too far away! Do You have any idea what this is like?! This is
NOT my idea of how I would have written my life’s script!” - I need to listen
to Him as He assures me of His promises. I need to renew my understanding of
His call on my life and the calling that He has given me.
It’s a cycle. I am
sure of my calling. I understand that it may not be as we planned, so I need to
be willing to change my plans to fit with God’s. Therefore, I need to have some
time to reflect and get back on the path that God has defined, and to do what I
need to remind myself of my calling. Then I can be assured that my attitude is
back, so that I can call what might be deemed by some to be an ordeal, truly an
ADVENTURE!
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