The Standard of Life

(Written February 28, 2007)

Scripture has a plethora of verses and passages that deal with how we should live our lives before others. There are even some passages specifically directed to leaders in the church. I am currently a pastor’s wife. I’ve been a youth minister’s wife and the wife of someone who, although he was not in official leadership of the church, was a very prominent and key member of the church. In this role, my husband frequently taught, led, and offered advice. (And, yes, just in case you’re wondering, I have been the wife of the same man through it all!) Simply being married to a leader in the church has put me in a leadership role myself. Other women do look to me as an example of what is and is not acceptable. It is truly a frightening position. Needless to say, I have proceeded with the understanding that I am to be judged by the criteria of leadership.

Today, though, God gave me a different understanding of my role of leadership. It suddenly dawned on me that one of the most incredible examples of my leadership has nothing to do with my being the wife of a minister. It has nothing to do with having been a Sunday school teacher or Bible study leader in the past. Right now, it simply has to do with the fact that I have lived in faith. Hebrews 13:7 reads, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the Word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” The commentary I read indicated that this verse was referring to past leaders in the church who had gone on to be with the Lord, but I pose yet another thought. I present that “the outcome of their way of life” could simply mean that they lived through a time of challenge and were able to present an example to others because of it. Let me explain.

In eight years of marriage, my husband and I have been through three periods of time in which my husband did not have a job. In only one of those stretches were we totally without income, but in all of them the income that we did have was insufficient. We simply had to trust the Lord to provide what we needed to pay our bills. We had to hold on to Him to encourage us through those times. In yet another situation of having to simply wait on the Lord’s provision, we spent this past spring and summer prayerfully wondering where we would live when our lease expired the end of September. We had to move, but we had no idea where to go. The world was open to us. We were not tied to anything firm and solid, and we had no idea what God had in store for us. We were overwhelmed with uncertainty.

In each situation, I can look back and see how God brought us through, but it wasn’t until this past week that I realized how much OTHERS could see it too! A friend of mine has recently been going through a very difficult time. She has been a Christian for a while, but is just now really growing in her faith. She is being forced into a crash course! Just over two weeks ago, her husband lost his job. They are now in a situation of depending on the Lord each step of the way, and as her husband is not walking the walk of a man of God, my friend is carrying much of the burden of trust. There are rough days. There are good moments in rough days. But, overall, it’s not an easy place to be. No matter how great your faith is, it’s still hard to be in a tough situation. Through all of this, I couldn’t believe what she told me one day. She looked at me and told me that she watched me go through praying for a job for my husband. She watched me going through needing a place to live and not having a clue where to go. She watched me trust the Lord even though I was discouraged, frustrated, tired, confused, and uncertain. She watched the Lord come through with incredible provision. And she trusts the Lord because of my example! She trusts the Lord because of what she has seen Him do in my life! She trusts the Lord because she has heard me share the Word and she has seen it being lived out in me in truth.

“Consider the outcome of their life and imitate their faith.” People are watching the outcome of your life, and they are imitating YOU! What will imitating you produce? Are you speaking the Word to them? Do they know that you live the way you live because of what the Word says? When they hear you speak of Scripture, do they see that you are living what you speak? If they read the Word for themselves, will they think of your life as a living example of what they are reading? Can God bring His Word to life through you for someone who needs to see it? If they imitate you, will they be living in accordance with the Word? You don’t have to be a minister or a minister’s wife to be held to a standard of leadership. You simply have to be someone who claims to be a servant of the Almighty God. Are you living what you claim to be? The Great Commission was not given to preachers and leaders. It was given to fishermen, tax collectors, and other common folk. If you fit into that category, then you are a teacher. What are you teaching?