Dear Pastor’s Wife,
Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”
The last few weeks have been one of those times when my Facebook news feed was full of posts about loved ones going home to heaven. For some it was expected; for others- a complete shock. The one thing in common? These loved ones were dear friends and family of pastors’ wives. Though we spend our time comforting others and being strong for the weak, we are not immune to the reality of death and grief. We see death often, and funerals are a regular part of our ministry life. But when it hits us close to home…oh, that is a different story.
A pastor’s wife…grieving. Sometimes this is a difficult dynamic. Your own heart is breaking, yet you are called upon to continue ministering. Shed some tears, keep going forward, keep reaching out. Calendar events don’t stop for anything. And so you push your own grief aside {again} to meet yet another need. All the while you realize that you desperately need to be ministered to.
Oh friend, how I wish I could wrap my arms around you and let you process this heaviness in your heart. Instead, I’m so glad I can remind you that Someone already is.
God is holding your heart…and He is catching each tear as it falls.
He is collecting your salty drops of grief and will use them to sooth your heartache. He considers it a very precious thing when His saints go home to be with Him. Settle in to God’s comfort today, friend. You are going to be okay.
XOXO,
A Kindred Spirit
P.S. Sending you a cyber ((hug)) today!
Hi Leah! I am catching up on your posts from October because I did not get a chance to read them when you wrote them. After reading this one I believe that was by God’s design! My sweet sweet mother in law went home to heaven on November 9th and it has definitely been difficult to process it all. We went to Florida for a week to be at the funeral and when we were leaving I hugged my PW and told her I didn’t feel ready to come home and minister. How do you minister when your own heart is breaking in pieces?! Only with God! Thank you for the simple acknowledgement on how difficult these situations are (and for the cyber hug! lol)) and for the gentle reminder that God does indeed care about my grief!
Dianne, I know exactly how you are feeling….I’ve been there. It is hard to feel the push to keep going when you haven’t had time to grieve. We as PWs spend so much time grieving for others that often our own griefs are set aside. I pray that God will heal you, soothe your pain, and give you strength to go forward. ((hug))