What She Must Be

Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
1 Timothy 3:11

Truth be told, 1 Timothy 3:11 is a list of qualities that must be observed in a woman before her husband is ordained as a deacon,  not instructions on how to behave after his ordination. 

I have struggled here, because I am not perfect.  My husband had "deacon" written all over him; it was his wife's character, I feared, that threatened to disqualify him.  Our pastor and I assured Henry that in spite of his doubts, he was more than qualified. Later, our pastor and my husband turned and did the same for me.  I remained doubtful, but I was not willing to let my lack of self-confidence hold my husband back from something God had so clearly called him to do.  It took me some time to realize that if God called my husband, it meant He had called me as well.
We passed our 'testing phase' in spite of our weaknesses. Throughout this time it was never any secret that we are imperfect, so we both felt confident enough with our "passing grade" to submit ourselves to what we believed was God's will. Next thing we knew, Henry was a 26-year-old deacon. 

It is true that I desire deeply to be a woman of God who is respectful, trustworthy, and full of faith. This is a high standard to live up to.  I have certainly not “arrived.” Before Henry's ordination, I renewed my commitment to God and vowed to take His commands seriously, but during the ceremony, I still felt the weight of what he was (we were) signing up for and the depth of what he (we)  had been called to do.  That was 9 months ago, and even in this short time-frame I have already messed up plenty of times.  This one verse is a humbling thing, that's for sure. No indeed, I have certainly not "arrived." I'm still shaking in my boots.

Honestly, this one verse is so humbling that I hesitated to even start this blog.  I have especially struggled to write my next entry...

I am writing a series in which I plan to elaborate on each quality a woman must have as a deacon's wife, according to 1 Timothy 3:11.  The first post was called "She Must Be Dignified."  The next post is going to focus on "not slanderers."  I have been procrastinating on this one, because when the apostle Paul equates gossiping women with devils... let's just say things could get heavy.



Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15