God has a calling for pastors' wives too, says Julia Lawton.,,,
It can be tricky if your husband has the call of God on his life, as Julia Lawton found.
If our husbands have a calling on their life to go into ministry then for many of us this can cause a dilemma or even perhaps a loss of identity. To a greater or lesser degree this will be a shared calling. For some it is to work alongside their husband in the ministry, but for many it is to support them whilst having their own role outside the church.
We are NOT an add-on. We were created by God. Genesis 2:21 states that ‘God took a rib out of Adam and created woman’.
We are not called to be like men but to help them. We are called alongside but different. We have our own giftings that we need to work out for ourselves. One size doesn’t fit all.
I became a pastor’s wife overnight when Simon was at Bible college and God called us both to plant a church in Crewe. I thought Simon would be an assistant somewhere and I would slip gradually into the role. I don’t think I really knew what the role was and what was expected. Pastors have training … their wives often don’t!
We are all different so our roles will be different. We need to be secure in who we are in God and not let others put their expectations on us. Seek God for yourself. Ask him what he wants you to do. Don’t feel pressured to be or do something that isn’t you. God created you to be you. There are different seasons in our ministries that are harder than others.
The young mum season, for one, can be incredibly frustrating. Stuck in the crèche each week, wondering why you bother even going to church. Remember it is a season that doesn’t last forever and that ministering to your children is such an important ministry. There will be plenty of time later to use all the gifts and abilities that God has invested in you.
In the church plant, I had to help with everything. That was how it needed to be at that time. Sometimes we have to stand in the gap and God will honour us for that. It was a training ground for the future.
When we moved to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and established the Dream Centre, God gave me a blank canvas and together we painted the picture. That was when I was released to do the things God had called me to do. Suddenly I was fulfilled, walking in my calling.
There are different seasons and callings within our spiritual journey. Can I encourage you to embrace whatever season and calling you find yourself in. Don’t run away. Know that God is with you in it. God’s chosen YOU for such a time as this. Run with it and see what God has for you. You will be amazed – it will be so much more than you could ever imagine.
Julia was married at 19 and widowed at 30 with three little boys. After becoming a Christian, she met and married Simon and they have two daughters. Julia serves alongside her husband, who is the senior Pastor at Banbury Community Church. Julia is the author of ‘The End of the Beginning’, available on Amazon and all good book shops. ISBN: 9781999648947.
From Direction Magazine issue 241
