A Good Thing
King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, said in Proverbs 18:22, “He who finds a good wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.” Now I know Solomon was the wisest man to ever live because the Bible says so, but excuse me if I have a little trouble accepting that. I mean, if he was so smart then why in the world did he have 700 “official” wives and 300 concubines? That sure doesn’t sound like a very wise man to me (Sorry ladies. I just had to say it.).
Now, back to Proverbs 18:22. Almost 36 years ago I found a good wife. Actually, I found a real keeper! To be honest, I believe as a result of my parents’ many prayers the Lord found her for me. There were some who knew us that predicted our marriage wouldn’t last long but I guess the Lord fooled them. What an incredible wife He has blessed me with. I constantly thank the Lord that He brought Sherry and I together. But not only did He bring us together, He is the glue that has kept us together. I am almost certain that if it had not been for Him and His grace in the early years of our marriage Sherry would not have put up with me. It wasn’t that I was a really bad person or husband but neither was I the easiest person to get along with.
Sherry amazed me then and she continues to amaze me today. We had dated for most of three and one-half years before we married on December 23, 1972. When we married I had been in the Air Force for three months so she was somewhat aware of what she was getting into when she became a military spouse. Sherry was aware of what lay ahead if I decided to make a career of the military which I ended up doing; moving away from family and friends, living in strange places (Oklahoma City, our first duty station) and strange countries (Germany). I can tell you that she accepted all of that readily and supported me fully throughout my 20 years in the Air Force.
Now, I said all of that to say this. When Sherry and I married she didn’t bargain on being a pastor’s wife one day. I can assure you that idea wasn’t even remotely in her thoughts at the time. After all, I wasn’t even a Christian when we married and, although she was, she wasn’t living for the Lord at that time. It was four and one-half years later that I trusted Christ as my Savior and Sherry rededicated her life to the Lord. So in the summer of 1982, while stationed overseas in Germany, when the Lord began to speak to my heart through His still small voice and tell me that He wanted me to dedicate my life to vocational ministry as a pastor I knew exactly what Sherry’s reaction was going to be when I told her. I knew she was going to say, “No way! When I married you I didn’t sign on to be a pastor’s wife. That was not part of the deal!” If I live to be 100 I don’t think I will ever forget the day I told her I was fairly certain God was calling me to ministry. It had taken me a few days of prayer to gather the courage to talk with her about this matter because, as I have already said, I was certain of what her reaction would be. I well remember telling her that I had something I needed to talk to her about. Then I proceeded to tell her I had been sensing that God was calling me to be a pastor. Her reaction? She looked at me and simply said, “Well, that doesn’t surprise me.” While my announcement did not surprise her, her reaction to it blew me away. I realized that not only had God been working in my life, He had also been at work preparing her heart for what He had planned for us.
I wish I had time to tell you what a great mother, wife, and pastor’s wife she has been. I can tell you that she has been magnificent at something she didn’t bargain for almost 36 years ago when she said, “I do.” Unless you are a church staff member or the spouse of one you have no idea of the challenges they face. Sherry has faced and met those challenges in a wonderful way! She has been subjected to things she never bargained for nor deserved. Our family has faced challenges that no family should ever have to face. Sherry has faced those challenges and passed with flying colors. I may be a little bias but I believe she is the consummate pastor’s wife. It has been rightly said that a pastor’s wife either makes him or breaks him. Well, I can tell you that Sherry helped to make me. She is a wonderful partner, supporter, and encourager in the work the Lord has called us to. I honestly don’t know where I would be or what I would do without her.
As Solomon said, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.” Sherry, I can tell you that God showed me great favor when He blessed me with you. Thanks for being the wonderful wife (pastor’s wife), mother, and now grandmother that you are. You have excelled in something that you didn’t sign on for when you married me. They may not realize it, but the churches we have been privileged to serve have been fortunate to have you as their pastor’s wife. You have been a blessing to your spiritual family just as you have to your physical family. Thanks for just being Sherry! I love you more than words can describe. Now, would you please go wash clothes so I will have some clean underwear! J
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