What is it Like Being Married to a Pastor?

Today's devotion comes from my wife, Sherrie.  Sherrie has been with me since my very first semester in college.  She had no idea what she was signing up for.  Neither did I.  But she has been with me through a career change, 5 churches, 2 moves for her, and a 10-year ordination process.  I could not and would not be in ministry without her.  There's 2 reasons for that.  1.  I could never do this alone.  2.  the very beginning of me answering the call to ministry happened when she asked me to take off of work at Target one Sunday morning and go to church together.  I did and we've gone to church every Sunday since.  The 16 year-old I was dating is now a pastor's wife and a mother.  Her devotion today is just a little bit of what it is like to be a pastor's wife.  Enjoy!

Reverend Dave
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I started dating Dave when I was only 16 years-old.  He was in college to become a teacher and I was in 11th grade in High School.  The only thing I thought I would be was a teacher's girlfriend.  Neither one of us had any idea that he would be a pastor and I would be a pastor's wife.  We met doing the play "Footloose".  And if you have seen it, you will know that the play is about a young man who moved into a new town where the pastor made the big decisions.  That play has a lot of what everyone thinks ministry is like... the pastor has the power to change the whole town, the pastor's kid is a little bit wild and the pastor's wife almost never speaks.  So, that is what I thought it meant to be a pastor's wife.  But Dave has never been more powerful than a mayor in town, and I am being asked to write devotions, so maybe times have changed.  I think we all can pray that Georgie won't be a wild pastor's kid!

Dave is the one who went to seminary, so I leave the church things to him.  He even had to help me with this devotion!  I was trained as a daycare teacher.  So, I don't always know Bible verses off the top of my head.  But I do know that the Bible teaches us that life is better when you have company.  Adam learned that life is better with company.  When Jesus started his ministry, the first thing he did was find people to bring him company.  Ruth kept Naomi company.  I know that being a pastor is hard, but Dave has told me several times that he could never do it without me being right there with him.  

Every town we were sent to we made great friends.  We have been to so many great events like weddings, baptisms, youth group outings, special town events.    And in every town, I have had great people keeping me company when Dave couldn't.  I have had people from the churches and even from other nearby churches show me love, and I have had other pastor's wives support me and help me learn what it's like to be a pastor's wife.  Being a pastor's wife is both hard and great.  Yes, we never know when Dave is going to get called to a hospital.  It happened at 9pm the night before Easter one year.  We also never know when we are going to get moved and have to say good bye to our friends.  But every time we do, we meet new great people and our new incredible friends.  We find new things to do together in our new town.  And no matter what, no matter where we go, no matter what is going on in the church, we know that we have company with each other and with other great people.  I never would have met some of my best friends if I wasn't a pastor's wife.  So, what I learned is to go where God sends you no matter how crazy it sounds and wherever you go, make good friends and be a good friend.

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