The Preacher's Wife, Who is She?

Special Series

All articles in this special series have been written by preachers' wives. The purpose of this series has been to encourage you to get to know your preacher and your preacher's wife better. Pray for them. Love them and encourage them. Help them to go to Heaven. They have made a lot of sacrifices to help you and your family to go to Heaven. Today's article concludes this Special Series:

By Sandy Ditoro

One day two barnyard critters were having a conversation. The chicken said to the pig, "Let's make breakfast for the Farmer Brown today. I'll provide the eggs and you can provide the bacon." The pig said to the chicken, "For you such an offering will be a contribution but for me it is a supreme sacrifice."

In many ways the difference between the pig and the chicken are similar to the differences between a preacher/preacher's wife and the congregation. That is why they both can look at a joint effort with such differing attitudes and it also explains why there is often such a gap between the two.

A preacher and his wife may leave family, a well paying job, property, insurance, a retirement fund, even social security so that he may go preach. A preacher and his wife make a total commitment of their time and resources.

There are members who understand the sacrifices that a preacher and his wife have made and they do everything they can to become family in place of the family the preacher and his wife left in order to come and serve them. They have an attitude of "what is mine is yours". The difference between such members and the ones who constantly create challenges for the preacher and his family is the difference between worldly members and spiritually minded members.

Mature preachers and their wives understand this and they labor their hearts out to encourage the appreciative spiritually minded members. They also work their hearts out for the worldly members, hoping to somehow help them to look up and see Heaven and the One there who loves them so.

The difference in the two types of members is the difference between the women who followed Jesus wherever He went to minister to His needs and those who desired to find Lazarus and put him to death after Jesus raised him up.

The differences are similar to the woman who anointed Jesus with the precious oil and Judas who complained over the waste of such precious oil.

The differences are similar to the people knelt and wept at His cross and those who put Him on the cross.

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
 

"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
 

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' (Matthew 25:34-43)