...I'm a Pastor's wife."
Last year, a dear sister recommended I do something that would change the way I look...a bit.
As I thought about it - and looked around - I noticed that a lot of Mrs Pastors were doing the same thing or other things that I wouldn't do. It then occurred to me that what I was turning down/away from doing was not due to a lack of ability - rather it was my deliberate choice.
In other words, I could do it but chose not to.
The other dimension was that the reason for choosing not to do that was not solely because I am Mrs. Pastor but more because of my personal preferences based on my upbringing.
I then wondered how many of us use (maybe even misuse/abuse) the fact that they are Pastor and/or Mrs Pastor to do or be excused from doing particular things.
1 Peter 2:16 says: "Live like free people, but don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Live as those who are serving God." (ERV)
I agree that as Pastors and Pastors' Wives, we need to be good role-models and mentors. However, we need to know why we say "Yes" or "No" to particular things otherwise we cannot truly train or guide others on how to make some of those decisions. There are things that we should do or not do - whether or not we can. We must be intentional about our choices and help others too with such decisions. Otherwise you may find that some people do what they should not under the excuse that "afterall, I'm not a Pastor."
So really, my response should have been:
"I do not want to do that because of my personal values and preferences"
not
"I can't do that, because I'm a Pastor's wife."
