THE PASTOR’S WIFE
Strengthened by grace for a life of love
By Gloria Furman
IVP. 156 pages. £7.99
ISBN 978 1 783 592 777
The key to The Pastor’s Wife lies in the subtitle – that God’s grace is sufficient for us in our everyday lives. Because of all that Jesus has done for us we are empowered to serve our God, our husband and our church.
These three areas form the main sections of the book, in which the pastor’s wife is first and foundationally drawn to focus on God. He is the source of our strength and it is for his glory we labour, both in the context of being a helper to our husband in his ministry and in the opportunities we have to serve the church. We are reminded of the eternal perspective of the church and encouraged to persevere in doing (sm)all things for the marvellous goal of building up the body of believers.
Gloria Furman speaks into real situations within the pastor’s wife context, accompanied by plenty of personal anecdotes with an international flavour – as a family they are based in Dubai, where her husband serves as a pastor.
Not the pastor’s wife
This book is also helpful for women who are not pastor’s wives. Firstly, it can help those wishing to support wives of men in ministry by giving insight into potential pressures that are faced and in particular where unrealistic expectations are held of the pastor’s wife. Secondly, many of the issues addressed are of concern for women in general. Furman gives gems of wisdom when it comes to identity, expectations from varying sources, comparing self to others and the vast area of using and appreciating God-given gifts.
Some aspects of the book could be regarded as fairly basic, but serve as a reminder and foundation for points made subsequently. Ultimately, whichever season of life one is in, God by his grace will equip. We are called to look to him regardless of our circumstances and let this enable us to live a life of love.
As an added bonus, the illustrations on the cover of the UK edition match the varied life of a pastor’s wife very well!
