A Turn in the Road

My husband is now a 'pastor'. I use the title 'pastor' because, though he is not ordained, I don't know what else to call him, as he is now in a shepherding role at our church. But how he ended up with this job (when we were all certain that he would be teaching as long as the school would have him) is another story.

Back to the point. I never wanted to marry someone who worked for the church. My father is a pastor, and I had literally grown up in the church. After years of feeling like I was competing with the church for my father's time and affection, I decided that I would only marry someone with a 'normal' job-- regular, reliable hours, good vacation time, little work to take home if possible. Teaching didn't follow that criteria exactly, but at least I could look forward to the weeks off during Christmas, Easter, and summer.

And now this.

"Wait!" part of me wanted to say. "I didn't sign up for this! I might not have married this man if I had known that ten years down the line he would change careers!"

But marriage doesn't work that way. And neither does God. The part of me that reacted this way was the part based in fear, not faith. And really, in the midst of it all, I find myself laughing because I know God has been planning this for a long time. All my life, in fact. I admit that I was a little worried when the job was presented to my husband, but I also knew that we were perfect for it. All my experience of being a PK ('pastor's kid', for those of you not familiar with Christian slang) made me a perfect candidate to be a 'pastor's wife'. 

A few months back I read an article written by another 'pastor's wife'. I choked as she wrote (with some bitterness) about her husband's "so-called calling" to be a "man of God". (sorry I can't provide the source material, I can't remember what magazine I read this in.) Firstly, I know that my husband was a 'man of God' before he took this job. Secondly, there is no such thing as a 'so-called calling'. God is always calling. The real question is, are we listening? And He doesn't just call about church jobs, and He doesn't just call men. God called my husband to teach, and now to shepherd. He called me to homeschool, and now to support my husband in his new role. The road we've been traveling has taken yet another unexpected turn, but I know that, though the path may lead us through dark forests, calm meadows, rough oceans, or high mountains, it is the path that God is paving for us, a day at a time.