And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:18).
In the Hebrew, the word is neged, meaning, another of the same, but opposite. This helper, of God’s design, was to be all that man was, and, all that man was not. The reality is that man was the same to the woman. To change a corny movie quote a little, the man and the woman were the completion of one another, or, the two became one.
Also notice Genesis 1:27-28: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:27-28)
These verses point out the necessity of their opposites, “multiply”, and the blessing of their sameness, “have dominion” upon the earth. God designed the man and woman to work together for God’s purposes in God’s authority.
I am just foolish enough to believe that in God’s best plan and purpose for husbands and wives He has a specific pairing in mind. The problem is, after the fall, we do not always follow His plan; we make our own plan. That is what I was doing. However, in more ways than I have space or time to write, God brilliantly drew my attention to the one who is my same, but opposite in His plan, my Sweet Ruthi.
March is Pastor’s Wife Appreciation Month.
When God brought Ruthi and me together, we had no idea that He was preparing a ministry team for the coming years. Actually, we had no idea we would become children of God. God works in wondrous, mysterious ways. We married in 1971, and I answered God’s call to ministry in 1981. The morning I made a public commitment to follow God’s call, Ruthi was as surprised as most others. She had not known of the inner struggle I was in for the two years prior to making that decision. However, it seems God was working on her, too. From day one, she was supportive. You see, when God calls the man, He calls the woman with the man. In some way, that woman answers the call to be the pastor’s wife; a very high and honorable call, indeed.
I do not need a special month to honor my ministry partner; I try to show appreciation for her daily. Nonetheless, it is a good time for churches to show appreciation for the one who does much, whether noticed or not. These women do not do what they do, nor endure what they endure, for notoriety or praise of man, but their Father alone is enough. But church, do something good for your pastor’s wife anyway.
