The Good Wife

I have been wanting to write about this for a long time, but have hesitated because I thought I would find a good answer. This is just my heart and brain working out loud.

I wonder if any other Christian wives struggle with understanding what it means to be a "good wife." I see many examples of Christian women seamlessly fitting into the ideal standard of what our Christan culture deems appropriate as the ideal wife. They seem happy. They have great kids, nice homes, they serve others. But I can't help but feel like something is missing from their lives.

I believe that being a mother and a wife is a gift, a blessing, from God to be treasured. I love my husband. I would give my life for my children. But I also know that God has purposed me as a daughter in his kingdom to do something great for his glory, beyond being a good wife or mother. I believe that he has purposed ALL of his daughters for a specific role in a plan that he has delicately orchestrated.

I worry sometimes if we as wives are missing out on what our great purpose is. Has our "Christian society" crafted the role of a good wife in such a way that it is keeping us from experiencing God in a radical way? Has our role as wives and mothers kept us so preoccupied, that we are forgetting that we were created to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world?

I have been thinking these thoughts because I often hear other women tell me "that's so great that you get to do ministry work that's impacting Africa with the gospel." or "you have such a big job, I don't know how you do it with three kids and a husband." While I am sure those comments are meant as compliments, they make me sad.

I am nobody special. I am a mom just like you. I am a wife just like you. God is how I am able to do this job. He is the reason any of this works or makes sense.

I wonder how many women out there are truly missing out. I am not saying that we are all called to Africa. But I am saying that we are all commanded by Jesus to bring the gospel to the world. We don't get a "pass" on this command because we are busy being good wives or mothers.

I believe that as women we have a kind of spiritual strength that the world needs to see. I want so badly to see normal, everyday wives and mothers come together and do something thunderous for God's kingdom.

I am not sure what we are waiting for. Maybe we are all too busy being the good wife.