Elinor Wilson, author of this month's Shepherdess feature, is the wife of a minister who has functioned in many roles—pastor, treasurer, departmental secretary, missionary, administrator, and since 1979 president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Like many ministers' wives, she has had to adapt with grace to these changing assignments and residences. A certified elementary school teacher, she has served in classrooms from Cairo, Egypt, to Takoma Park, Maryland! But she readily admits that her foremost accomplishment in life has been the training and rearing of her two children, Ted and Shirley. Now she enjoys three grandchildren and being a full-time homemaker.
In a world that seems to be totally absorbed in the selfish pursuit of position, Elinor encourages us to be "stature seekers," not "status seekers." And she practices what she preaches'. These thoughts were shared first with the ladies at the 1982 Annual Council held in Manila. But they are so appropriate to all of us that they deserve a wider circulation. —Marie Spangler.
Serendipity is a five-syllable word that means finding something valuable or agreeable that you didn't seek or expect to find. Well, in going through a book recently, I found something I didn't expect—something valuable and some thing I needed. A chapter heading in Dr. G. T. Andersen's book Walk God's Battlefield struck me as important and valuable. "Status or Stature," it read.
Although closely related words, coming from similar Latin roots, status and stature have developed to have very different meanings today. Generally we think of status as having a negative connotation. Status involves judging ourselves with reference to, or by comparison with, others. Stature, on the other hand, means judging ourselves with reference to certain fixed standards. And of course, as Christians, our stature depends on our likeness to the standard Jesus Christ has set. The apostle Paul set forth this fact so clearly when he wrote to the Ephesians: "So shall we all at last attain to the unity inherent in our faith and our knowledge of the Son of God. . . measured by nothing less than the full stature of Christ" (chap. 4:13, N.E.B.).*
Vance Packard, in his best-seller The Status Seekers, portrayed this all-too-prevalent activity as a game people play with houses, furniture, clothes, auto mobiles, clubs, education, et cetera. These things become a means to build individual prestige. Some even pull churches into the status game with a materialistic scale of values and begin to measure religious success by the size of building, the amount of the annual budget, or the number of members. Different things gain importance as status symbols in different parts of the world, but the game is the same. Packard points out that in a certain section of the American Midwest, television antennas once seemed to be the status symbol. The most conspicuous feature of the landscape in this area was the array of towering television antennas, some on tripods reaching more than fifty feet into the sky! Oddly enough, those houses on high ground had TV towers just as tall as those on low ground. The really ironic aspect of the whole situation was that all of these houses could get adequate television reception with ten-foot antennas. The additional height of forty or fifty feet was simply a status symbol.
As religious leaders and spouses of religious leaders, are we ever guilty of falling into this status trap? Do we, because of position or office, try to claim a little extra prestige? A few special favors? Because we are the wives of leaders, do we feel that gives us status? Or do we covet, rather, stature by comparing ourselves to Christ and seeing how closely we reflect His likeness?
More than 1,900 years ago Jesus had something important to say about status seeking. Both in His life and in His teaching, He dealt with this human temptation and weakness. Sometimes His comments seemed to reveal a touch of humorous irony. Noticing all of the prestige-consciousness that surrounded Him and those who were avidly in search of status, especially among religious leaders and their families, Jesus gave words of advice to guests at a wedding when He noticed how they were choosing the best seats. "'When you are invited to a wedding reception, don't sit down in the best seat. It might happen that a more distinguished man than you has also been invited. Then your host might say, "I am afraid you must give up your seat for this man." And then, with considerable embarrassment, you will have to sit in the humblest place. No, when you are invited, go and take your seat in an inconspicuous place, so that when your host comes in he may say to you, "Come on, my dear fellow, we have a much better seat than this for you"'" (Luke 14:8-10, Phillips).+
Another time Jesus talked about spiritual leaders, and His words may have some application for those of us who are in similar positions today.
"'Be on your guard against these scribes who love to walk about in long robes and to be greeted respectfully in public and to have the front seats in the synagogue and the best places at dinner parties! These are the men who grow fat on widows' property and cover up what they are doing by making lengthy prayers'" (Mark 12:38-40, Phillips).
These were revolutionary words! Few seemed to understand the concept of true humility presented by Jesus (see Matt. 20:25-28). Even today most of us probably ignore this particular teaching, or at least neglect to act on it. What Jesus really does in this passage is to negate our own accepted standards and values and contradict our human way of thinking.
Frequently we are on display because we are the pastor's wife or the conference administrator's wife, and as a result we become the object of discussion. It is easy for a gulf to develop between us and the people. Often we get to the place that we expect preferential treatment because of who we are. There is great danger that we become status seekers rather than stature seekers. For example, if a change comes in our work or in the work of our husband that we feel is not quite so important as the former work, we feel rejected and shattered. Instead of rejoicing and thanking God for the opportu nity of serving Him in whatever capacity we may, our human tendency is to become bitter at a loss of "status."
But I think Jesus was trying to tell us more in these passages. I am concerned about the feelings of superiority that develop within the church—superiority and perhaps discrimination—based upon race, or language, or culture, or color, or perhaps upon economic status or age. I like the message of that little song we teach our children in Sabbath school: "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world; brown and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight." And I plead with you that we all eliminate any feelings of superiority or discrimination based on these human standards that we sometimes use to give earthly status rather than measuring our stature against the beautiful and spotless character of our Lord. When we love Jesus, we will love each other, and then everyone will be precious in our sight, just as we teach our children to sing.
Our Lord expects us to set an example, to be models of patience, humility, love, and Christian grace. We are to be an inspiration to the people in our churches whom we serve. We must show a concern for the whole family of God. Who are better qualified than women and mothers for the special task and privilege of keeping the spiritual family together? Perhaps we can understand some of these things even better than men do! Let us tactfully remind our husband-leaders of these great principles of Christ's kingdom.
The apostle James gave very special emphasis to our Lord's teaching and made a practical application of some of these principles when he wrote, "Don't ever attempt, my brothers, to combine snobbery with faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ! Suppose one man comes into your meeting well-dressed and with a gold ring on his finger, and another man, obviously poor, arrives in shabby clothes. If you pay special attention to the well-dressed man by saying, 'Please sit here—it's an excellent seat,' and say to the poor man, 'You stand over there, or if you must sit, sit on the floor by my feet,' doesn't that prove that you are making class-distinctions in your mind, and setting yourselves up to assess a man's quality from wrong motives?" (James 2:1-4, Phillips).
I'm glad to be a part of the family of God! A family made up of every nation, kindred, tongue and people, where we can be one in Christ. With differences? Yes! but with feelings of being superior or move important than others? No! We must stay close to Christ and to each other. We must pray for each other and, as the inspired apostle says, in honor prefer one another (Rom. 12:10).
We need not be concerned with status. But we must be ever so concerned that we grow and mature until we are satisfied with nothing less than the full stature of Christ.
Prayers from the Parsonage
by Cherry B. Habenicht
"She died last night..."
A year ago Marian learned that she had cancer. After surgery she underwent chemotherapy, but the disease spread. She walked with a cane, then became housebound. Soon she spent most of her days in bed, and finally she was hospitalized.
The message is no surprise, but it is still a shock. "Visitation is tonight at the funeral home ..."
Lord, why Marian? We shroud our selves in questions that have no answers. Tears flow as we grieve for Marian's loss as well as our own. Though she is at peace, Death remains an enemy. We can almost hear a satanic chuckle, for on earth life is short, unpredictable, and often unfair.
"And tomorrow evening we'd like a service to celebrate her life ..." Celebrate? The best funerals I've attended are hopeful, but none has ever been a celebration.
Yet there is cause for rejoicing!
Let us celebrate the life of a unique person who brought good to others. Marian enjoyed life's best moments and was not overcome by its worst. Each day brought some delight, and even in her final hours she did not stoop to bitterness or complaints.
Let us celebrate the life that remains. Physically it survives in her children. Spiritually it continues in her influence and contributions. Marian lives on in our thoughts.
We will celebrate her relationship with You. " 'In very truth, anyone who gives heed to what I say and puts his trust in him who has sent me has hold of eternal life'" (John 5:24, N.E.B.).* Marian grasped that promise as a verity.
"And when our mortality has been clothed with immortality, then the saying of Scripture will come true: 'Death is swallowed up; victory is won!'" (1 Cor. 15:54).
Life eternal. Life without sin. Life with You. When I try to imagine what awaits the believer, I cannot mourn. I praise You, Lord!
* From The New English Bible. © The Delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press 1961, 1970. Reprinted by permission.
+From J. B. Phillips: The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition. © J. B. Phillips 1958, I960, 1972. Used by permission of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.
