The pastoral ministry is like a patchwork quilt.
Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers were quilt makers. They saved scraps left over from dress patterns and bits and pieces acquired elsewhere and turned them into items that provided comfort and beauty.
When you and I, as pastor's wives, reflect on our years in the pastorate, we can identify with the pattern of those long-ago quilts.
In the first squares, we see the hesitating stitches of the first pastorate, the brilliant color swatches of youthful zeal and high hopes.
In the later design, we contemplate the pastel-shaded blocks that represent new babies and the parenting years.
Then come the dotted and striped patterns of new ideas our husbands so exuberantly introduced to the congregation.
Further inspection shows us the dark tones of disappointment and trials, and maybe a few patches of double-knit fabric with its stubborn texture and bland personality -- we've all had seasons of life like this!
Scattered throughout are color bursts of bright hue that tell the story of good times -- pastor appreciation days, retreats, campmeetings, family vacations, souls recovered and discipled. The mix of bright and dark forms a pattern as complex as the realities of life.
Yes, someday, you and I will examine the design of our ministry patchwork with awe -- for then we will see the plan of the Master and observe unmistakably that the thread of His presence encompasses each carefully-chosen section of our lives.
Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers were quilt makers. They saved scraps left over from dress patterns and bits and pieces acquired elsewhere and turned them into items that provided comfort and beauty.
When you and I, as pastor's wives, reflect on our years in the pastorate, we can identify with the pattern of those long-ago quilts.
In the first squares, we see the hesitating stitches of the first pastorate, the brilliant color swatches of youthful zeal and high hopes.
In the later design, we contemplate the pastel-shaded blocks that represent new babies and the parenting years.
Then come the dotted and striped patterns of new ideas our husbands so exuberantly introduced to the congregation.
Further inspection shows us the dark tones of disappointment and trials, and maybe a few patches of double-knit fabric with its stubborn texture and bland personality -- we've all had seasons of life like this!
Scattered throughout are color bursts of bright hue that tell the story of good times -- pastor appreciation days, retreats, campmeetings, family vacations, souls recovered and discipled. The mix of bright and dark forms a pattern as complex as the realities of life.
Yes, someday, you and I will examine the design of our ministry patchwork with awe -- for then we will see the plan of the Master and observe unmistakably that the thread of His presence encompasses each carefully-chosen section of our lives.
