I had just sent the children off to school; now I could relax after a hectic Sunday. The telephone rang.

"Hello, this is Mrs. Smith. May I speak to the pastor?"

"I'm sorry, he's not here now," I say.

"Well, can I see him today?"

"He won't be back until this afternoon. Why don't you call him later at the church office?"

"Well, maybe you can help me. I don't know what I'm going to do about my son. He refuses to obey us. We tell him to do one thing and he does another. What should I do?"

I'm concerned. I'm flattered. I'm bothered. I realize it's going to be another typical day in my life as a minister's wife. Three phone calls later, I'm so immersed in counseling, encouraging, and listening that I forget I wanted to take time for a nap this morning.

* * *

The joy of being a pastor's wife was a common theme in the comments I read from 166 ministers' wives who responded to a survey sent out by LEADERSHIP journal. Fifty-four percent are under 40 years of age, and 41 percent are between the ages of ...