Guest blogger and pastor’s wife Cindy Beall writes a great post today as one who spends time pouring into the other wives on their staff. God doesn’t expect us to work magic; He just wants us to be available to the women He places in our sphere of influence. See how Cindy is doing this and share how you are leading your women.
These lovely ladies are the strength behind the men who lead the six Oklahoma City metro campuses of LifeChurch.tv. We all live within 40 minutes of each other and even attend the “same” church, but it takes a dinner out to get us together to gab. And laugh. And eat foods that add inches to our waistline. (We did all order water with our meals. That cancels out the calories, I hear.)
My husband, Chris, will tell you it’s an honor to lead these women’s husbands. He knows God has called him to this task but make no mistake about it… Chris knows that he is only able to do this by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I feel the same way. I am not the leader of these women. They all have so much leadership in them that quite frankly, they could lead me on any given day. Despite my peaches ‘n cream complexion, I am the oldest one here and have the most experience as a pastor’s wife and woman in ministry. Because of that, I try my best to be their friend, encourage them, pray for them and just be there should they need an ear.
Because they’ll need an ear when their 7-month old won’t sleep well unless she’s next to momma in bed and when they are dealing with a child who has no interest in potty training and they wonder if this will be their life forever and when they wish their parents didn’t live in another state so that they could have a night out without breaking the bank for a babysitter and when they are watching their 19-year old son leave the nest to begin a life on his own.
Sigh.
They’ll also need to know I’m there if they encounter marriage struggles. Because although their marriages are healthy now, that doesn’t mean they’ll always be that way. We all know good and well that when we neglect our marriage for the church, struggles are inevitable. So I’m there for them. At dinner, in a text message, in an email, in a “like” on Instagram.
They see it. They know it. They feel it.
If you are reading this post, chances are high that you have women under your influence. Do not think you don’t have something to offer them. You do. God has you in the role you’re in even if you don’t think you’ve earned it or deserve it. News flash: None of us have earned it or deserve it. It’s a gift to lead other women by being their friend in good times so that they can call on you during hard times.
In what ways do you pour into the pastor’s wives or women in ministry under your care?
Cindy Beall is a writer, speaker and mentor to women. She and her husband, Chris, speak openly about their difficult journey through Chris’ infidelity and pornography addiction that nearly destroyed their marriage and ministry. Chris is the Oklahoma City Campus Pastor at LifeChurch.tv and Cindy serves alongside him. Cindy also serves on the Leading & Loving It Equipping Marriages Team that ministers to pastor’s wives and women in ministry. Her first book, Healing Your Marriage When Trust Is Broken, released in 2011 with Harvest House Publishers. For more information, visit Cindy’s website: www.cindybeall.com.