A Day in the Life of a Church Planter Wife

“For many of us, one of the hardest spiritual exercises we face is the discipline of rest. As your family plants the church you will find your days filled with endless activities and ever increasing demands. Slowing down, relaxing, and finding time to refresh our body and spirit can seem self indulgent or lazy. The truth is, without the discipline of rest, our effectiveness in ministry will be hindered.”

Quote from Bob Lepine from the book My Husband wants to be a Church Planter… So What Will That Make Me?

The following post was written by church planter wife Debbie Toole. Debbie and her husband live in Old Hickory, Tennessee.

On the way home from vacation last week, we were on Interstate 24 when we came upon a horrible accident involving an 18-wheeler. Two miles past the scene, traffic was backed up and at a standstill; passengers milling about in the median, talking amongst themselves, I’m sure speculating what the hold-up could be. They were too far away to see the bevy of service vehicles, much less all the debris, dotted along the interstate. As we continued to pass the unmoving vehicles, I began to think how the past eighteen months of our lives have felt like being stuck in that backed-up traffic.

Planting churches is my husband’s passion; he has done it time and again with enthusiasm and ease. So we expected this experience to be the same. Without a doubt we know God called us to this again in this place twenty months ago. There were too many “signs and wonders.” God supernaturally cleared the path for us to come here. So what’s going on? Why aren’t things moving along? At every turn, doors have closed, and there don’t seem to be any out there right now with the possibility of opening. I finally found a job, but after 18 months of searching, my husband is still unemployed. It is a struggle to make ends meet. We feel stuck on the highway, not knowing what the problem is, wandering around in the median making no progress, and quickly running out of gas (both figuratively and literally!). Some days, the only thing keeping us going is the knowledge that we ARE on the right road; even if sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.

Honestly, there are days I want to pull the covers over my head and refuse to go on. This is NOT the place I envisioned myself at this stage in my life. There are also days I want to pout and complain to God, insisting that He must not be fully aware of our situation because if He were, He’d surely be doing something about it! But even on my worst days, God still speaks…..I just have to stop complaining and be quiet long enough to hear Him.

He keeps whispering, “I know what’s going on and you’re going to be okay. I’m clearing the way, again, for you to continue on the road I’ve directed. Just remember that I’m still in control and I’m taking care of everything. When it’s time to proceed, the road will be clear. Oh, and just a reminder, I love you!”

So for now, as I’m milling about the median waiting for signs of movement, I’m taking lots of deep breaths, repeating to myself Who’s in charge (and it’s not me!), and reminding myself to rest in God’s faithfulness.