Me and Sarah Edwards

As a fairly new (assistant) pastor's wife, I'm beginning to see all the opportunities to apply lessons learned prior to this season in life. Mary, the mother of Jesus, often treasured up things in her heart and pondered them. I've been pondering too lately. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Jason was given the opportunity to preach this weekend on short notice. This means, in a sense, he works overtime this week. Expectations of how we were going to spend our Saturday as a family changed. I have two options. I can be bitter. Or I can rejoice.

God prepared me for moments like these by someone named Sarah Edwards. Wife of Jonathan Edwards. One of America's greatest theologians. Noel Piper in her book "Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God" says this, "How could she have known the gift she was giving us as she freed Jonathan to fulfill his calling?" (p 36) Sarah took on mass amounts of household duties, caring for their property, and raising 11 children. Noel says, "...as Sarah stepped into this role of wife, she freed him to pursue the philosophical, scientific, and theological wrestlings that made him the man we honor." (p20) Caveat: clearly a pastor is not to neglect his family for the sake of ministry but thats a whole other blog post in itself...and not something I think Jonathan Edwards was guilty of.

Now, I'm not married to a Jonathan Edwards, regarding his intensity, as he spent 13 hours or so a day in his office. This did include the times Sarah would go in for a chat or when others would visit for counsel or prayer. But still. Thirteen hours a day. That is a lot of time given to bible study and sermon prep! It makes a Saturday seem pretty measly. But it is in the act of joyfully letting my husband go and tending to my family alone that we grow and mature as believers and that others are edified and spurred on in their walks with Jesus (Lord willing) as Jason (or any pastor) preaches the sermon he's able to put together by spending hours in God's word and other resources.

I'm sure, and I'm pretty new at this so I could be wrong, that any wife of someone in ministry, whether full time or part time, has this same opportunity to be bitter or rejoice as their husbands walk out the door each time. Whether expected or unexpected. And I'm sure Sarah wasn't always rejoicing and praising God for her circumstances but bitterness was not her norm. She embraced what God had given her to do and she did it well. I hope I do the same. I hope I can see that God is, and will continue, to use my husband for the furthering of His kingdom and for building up the church and that I can humbly submit to my part which is joyfully allowing him to go and be used for God's glory by preparing sermons or Sunday school lessons. To not be a burden to my husband, making him feel as if I want him home all the time, but to give him the freedom to go and study and serve God's people by preparing well to rightly divide God's word. I pray I do that joyfully and willingly. Who knows the legacy your husband will leave (no pressure to be like Edwards, here, honey!) but you and I, wives, can leave one of joy, not bitterness. Thankfulness, not grumbling. Sacrifice, not selfishness. Service, not self-seeking. Hard work, not laziness.

So, off to the kitchen I go to prepare a little dinner...