They don’t let others dictate their roles inside or outside the church. They feel the freedom to “be themselves,” and not to be shaped into unreasonable images by church members. They pray regularly for their churches and church members. Prayer is pervasively powerful. And our prayers for others shape our attitudes toward them. Such was the reason many of them were so positive about fellow church members.

One of the unexpected and pleasant surprises of this blog for me is hearing from pastors’ wives. As a result, I have written a few blog posts (one, two, three) about these women. Additionally, I interact with the wives via social media on a regular basis.

…. In this article, I share with you the lessons I’ve learned from pastors’ wives who tell me they have found great joy and meaning in their lives. Here are seven of those lessons:

1. They focused on their identity in Christ….They are daughters of God, loved by Christ, and led by His Spirit….
2. They know they have their husbands’ support and priority. Many of the pastors’ wives who are struggling are intensely lonely….
3. They are honest and transparent with their husbands. Because they know they have their husbands’ support, they are open and transparent communicators with them….
4. They understand and accept that criticisms and unreasonable expectations are a part of church life and leadership….
5. They are intentional about making friends outside the church….
6. They don’t let others dictate their roles inside or outside the church….
7. They pray regularly for their churches and church members.

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The link (URL) to the original article is unavailable and has been removed. Also, one or more original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid; those links have been removed.]