As a pastor* the person who should have the best of your energies many times ends of with the least of them. That person is the minister’s spouse. Demands on a pastor’s time range from sermon prep to late evening meetings to visits and then there’s the Quick-Question-For-The-Pastor calls at home. Too many times pastors have little left for their families and for their spouses. But a church that recognizes that fact is worth its weight in gold!
Last year some of my church members gave my wife a wonderful gift of appreciation. My wife was talking with a member and the subject of our 10 year wedding anniversary came up. Jeanette said that she wanted to do something special, but was not sure where we should go. The lady responded, “You have to go to Kauai. We went there and it is perfect. You’ll love it.” My wife said that she would love to, but did not think that we could afford a trip to Hawaii. The energetic would-be travel agent encouraged Jeanette to look into it.
We checked out tickets to Kauai and some resorts and confirmed our fears. We could not afford it. Months later, Christmas time rolled around. We had one more stop at a wedding reception before leaving town. Before walking through the snow to our car that was jammed with presents for our family, the lady who had told us about Kauai gave us an envelope. She said, “Don’t leave it in your office. Make sure you take it with you.”
As we headed down the road, I opened the package to find a card inside. As I opened the card, checks and money fell into my lap. “Whoa! Jeanette, look at this!” The card said, “This is from several church members who want to thank you for all that you do for us. Use this money to go and celebrate your anniversary in Hawaii.” We were floored.
Even with the tremendous gift, it was still going to be a stretch for us to afford plane tickets and a resort in Kauai. We believed if God wanted us to go, He would have to work it out.
Then the husband of the lady who organized the giving members at Christmas called. He told me that since he flies all the time he had earned points for a hotel stay. He and his wife told us that they would use his points to book us at the Marriot resort in Kauai. I smiled to my wife, “Honey, you’re going to Hawaii.”
The demands on a pastor’s spouse are great. When a church remembers that and shows appreciation, it makes a world of difference. But even greater than gifts, is when a church does not force a pastor’s wife into a certain role or mold. When churches allows a pastors’ spouses to be who God made them to be – that is the best gift a pastoral couple could ever ask for. And tickets to Hawaii aren’t bad either. 
*I would like you all to welcome my guest Blogger, Michael Halfhill. He is the Associate Pastor, at the New Haven Church in Kansas & married to a wonderful woman, Jeanette. They will be celebrating their 10th Wedding Anniversary in October and have 2 cutie pie children!
