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My Husband, My Pastor, My Partner!


What a blessing it is to be married to a man who I truly consider my partner in life - my yokemate. Now, you may think that is a strange term of endearment. It may sound a bit too much like the proverbial "ball and chain." However, nothing could be farther from the truth when we are living as partners and are working together through the daily joys and struggles of life and ministry.
 
When we truly are working side-by-side toward the same goal, our marriage runs smoothly. When we help to carry the load of life together the burden becomes lighter to manage for each partner and the 'yoke' keeps us both on track and working together without added stress and pain.  
 
In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus encourages us with these words of invitation: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." What a great invitation and a picture of peaceful - yet purposeful - living! While we do have work to do here on earth we do not need to be unduly burdened. Rather, we have the opportunity to partner with our Savior, our husbands and our friends to be more effective in our homes, our churches and in our witness to others.
 
My encouragement to you today is to accept the Savior's invitation so that you can find rest for your soul. Once you've entrusted your life back into his loving care, take the next step in being the best 'yokemate' you can be to your husband. Consider how you can ease any tensions in your life by eliminating the sore spots in your marriage. Allow God to gently guide you into an even greater sense of purpose as you partner with your husband at home, at church and at play! 
 
(In the next post, we'll consider the different ways partnering can be displayed through the different seasons of our marriages and pastoral ministry.)

 

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