You know you're the wife of a youth pastor when you make promises selectively and seriously.
As a youth pastor wife, there have only been two promises I have made to young ladies in the youth group.
First Promise and a confession: I think toes are ugly. So, to help them out, I am a proponent of toe rings. I wear four. Two on my left foot and two on my right foot. When students notice them, I tell them that I've been wearing the toe ring since before they were born. And, that if they decide to wear one and still have it on when they are 21 years old, they are to come back to town, find me and I'll take them out to lunch! So far, no one has lasted this long, but I have my hopes up for a few certain girls!
Second Promise: When I hear that a young lady has a desire to become the wife of a youth pastor, I promise to pray for them to have this desire of their heart realized. When God moves the heart of a young lady to ministry, I feel it is a very special time and a unique calling that God only gives to a few. Since being a youth pastor wife requires a youth pastor husband, I promise to pray for her as she lives life and waits to see how God will arrange for the special young man to come across her path.
I've been blessed to see young ladies with this desire meet spouses that have a desire to love and serve the Lord in ministry. I'm currently praying for another young woman and I'm excited to see what God will do!
You know you're the wife of a youth pastor when you wear crushed velvet.
Each year on our HS Spring Retreat, the senior class has a chance to share a few words with the underclassmen. One of the seniors shared about how her mom challenged her to think and ask herself, "Will this matter in 20 years?" She often uses this reminder when dealing with different situations that seem overwhelming at the time. She concluded that most things DON'T matter 20 years from now.
Also, it is tradition to have a "Black Tie Dinner" for the evening meal. As I didn't want to purchase a new dress, I decided to dig through what was lurking in the back of the closet. I found the dress I wore for my homecoming dance when I was a senior in high school! I thought it would be fun to show the HS girls what was being worn 'way back then.' Guess how long ago? Yep...20 years ago!
I shared about bringing my 20 year old dress with this senior girl and we had a laugh and a 'wow' at the connection of the concept of "20 years."
I can't believe it's been 20 years since I wore that dress. Time flies, right!? When I look at the current students, I realize that even with two decades of fashion changes, not much differes when it comes to how a teenage girl feels on the inside. I struggled with many of the same insecurities, hopes, goals and challenges that they face today. It's comforting to know that some things that seemed too big and insurmountable for my teenage self have either been solved or faded away with the passing of time.
I look forward to seeing how God continues to grow and mold the young ladies I spent the weekend with, and I pray that in 20 years from now they will have stories of 'overcoming' to share with me.
And now, some photos for your viewing pleasure.
My friends and I outside my locker during homecoming week.
I
couldn't find a photo of me wearing my dress to the homecoming dance
(maybe that's what happens when you go without a date...no photos). But
I did wear the dress later that year to a church youth group event.
Here's me with my best friend. Notice we are BOTH wearing velvet.
20 years later, realizing some things don't matter and others really do.
You know you're the wife of a youth pastor when he's loved by other women. You know when he's surrounded by beautiful ladies and you are not jealous, but thankful for each of them!
