As ministry wives, we sometimes feel as if we’ve been forgotten and we’re ready to give up. But Jesus commands us to “Take courage!” Hear from pastor wife and speaker, Diane Nix, as she shares some of the encouragement she’s learned from her time as a ministry wife.
The entire video is above, and the complete transcript is below.
In my book, When God’s Woman Wants to Give Up, it’s really the story about Job’s wife. When we take a look in history, it’s the oldest book in Scripture, the most archaic Hebrew to translate. We often quote a first part of a verse out of Job that says, “Even if you slay me, I will trust in You.” But we forget about the last part of that verse and it is, “But nevertheless I’ll make my arguments known to You.” (Job 13:15)
I think that we forget in the darkest of days that there are times that we can think that He has forgotten where He left us. And as ministry wives, we can think that He dropped us off in a glass house and forgot where He left us. But that’s not true.
And yet, we have permission, just as Job did, to make our arguments known to Him. That verbage in the Hebrew is really that it’s a high court of heaven and it is an attorney pleading his case before the high judge, saying, “Listen to me!”
I think in ministry sometimes we forget that we have permission to wrestle out the things with God. We get in to that place like we have an expectation that we’re going to go into a community and we’re going to change the world for Jesus. The reality is, ministry is about day by day by day being faithful in the things that God has called us to do. And then jumping to Colossians–keeping our eyes on the things above instead of getting lost in the everyday things.
It is a high call, this thing we do called ministry. It is a hard call, but oh, is it ever worth it.
The second verse that I love, and it’s maybe the first or second verse I ever memorized in my Christian walk. It is from the lips of Jesus when He was speaking to His disciples. And it was John 16:33. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have overcome the world.”
We have got to keep a heavenly perspective throughout ministry. No matter what happens to us, keep a heavenly perspective. Then visit with people like me, who love you and are there praying for you and ready to support you.
Learn more about Contagious Joy, a community for ministry wives, founded by Diane Nix.