Read Life in a Fishbowl, Part 1
Leah Darwin’s book has been a cradle of encouragement to me ever since I first read it. She understands my heart during my moments of feeling oh so inadequate. And moments when I am in need of affirmation, pats me on the back as if saying, I am doing all right. I hope to share with you some snippets of what she enumerated as myths about being a pastor”s wife and my take on each one.
Myth No.1: The Pastor’s Wife is a Super Hostess
The usual living place of a pastor and his family is a parsonage. This usually pertains to the church building itself or a place adjacent to the church. I am not able to relate to most pastor’s wife with this predicament. I am very blessed to have been able to enjoy the privacy of our own home. This is not usual for some other pastors’ families that we know. So anyway, this myth talks about the expectation for the pastor’s wife to be always accommodating and would always be ready to open their home’s door without notice.
Myth No. 2: The Pastor’s Wife is a Super Woman
The pastor’s wife is always expected to be able to do multi-tasking without getting tired. From being the Sunday School superintendent, to the one who plays the organ or piano, to the one who is expected to conduct the choir, the Ladies Ministry’s head and even the greeter.
Myth No. 3: The Pastor’s Wife is a Super Wife/Mother/Homemaker
I have heard a fellow pastor’s wife saying that a pastor’s wife place can really be the loneliest place on earth if you come to think about it. Everyone expects to be ministered by her. But how about her? Who ministers to her in her time of need? That’s just a few things we really need to think about.
Myth No. 4: The Pastor’s Wife is a Super Spiritual Woman
Often times without people meaning to, they expect the minister’s wife to be happy all time. Free of all the negative feelings of loneliness, anger or grief.
