“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17
My best friend and I were in the same class in first grade. We went to school together, ate lunch together, and played on the swings at recess. We were inseparable. One glorious day our moms bought us matching spring dresses and we decided that we would wear them to school and see if our teacher could tell us apart. First graders do not think things all the way through, because while we were about the same size, she had blonde hair to my dark brown hair, fair skin to my olive skin, and blue eyes to my green. This was obviously going to be a tough go for our teacher.
Thankfully, she did not laugh in our faces but thought about it carefully. She did tell us apart but said it had been hard. We giggled all the way back to our desks. (I am pretty sure the hard part for her was not laughing her head off!) When I consider all the people in the world, I am amazed at how God has made all of us look different. How does He never run out of shapes of noses? Just like snowflakes, none of us are the same. Even with twins, although they look exactly the same, something is different from the other. God made us different in our looks and we all have different abilities, interests, talents, and skills as well. Millions of people and He has a limitless ability to make us all different!
However, we are also the same. We all know fear, frustration, joy, and pain. We have dreams. We need love and friendship to help us through the hard days and to enjoy our good days. We need laughter, loyalty, trust, and companionship. I remind you, ladies of the church, our pastors’ wives need the same things we do.
“Pastor’s wives are just like all the other women in their congregations – we have insecurities; we have fears; we have ‘issues’ that remind us of our weaknesses at the worst times.”
– from a pastor’s wife
They are not superwomen and they do not need you to remind them of that fact. They do need your encouragement and loyal friendship to help them in their responsibilities the same as you do. No man is an island, and neither is a pastor’s wife.
For Further Thought:
Pray for God to burden your heart for someone who needs a friend. Ask Him to use you in her life to encourage, strengthen, and love. You, too, will be blessed.
