The View

The View

Everybody has a perspective.

Sarah K. Asaftei is a pastor’s wife and work-at-home mom in the southern United States. She grew up as a missionary kid; married an Eastern European; worked for the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission; and loves writing, traveling, evangelism, and women’s ministry. In addition to writing for The Journal, she also co-authors a blog for young pastors’ wives.

Everybody has a point of viewEverybody has a perspective. It’s part of being human, part of being a creature with the ability to choose and learn and grow.

Our views vary, depending on our cultural back­ground, age, and current circumstances. One thing I’ve learned in the last 10 years (call them my dis­appearing 20s) is that just because I have a certain viewpoint today doesn’t mean I’m guaranteed to feel the same way next week.

I used to see everything in black and white, not just biblical truth, not just the things that are sup­posed to be black and white. Then I grew up. And married a pastor. And realized that life has this way of changing my perspectives about things.

As I write this, I’m multitasking with my laptop while nursing my two-month-old son, Tristan. This time last year, I had just returned from a trip to Russia where I trained local pastors in evangelism techniques to reach postmodern young adults. If you have children, you can imagine how my priorities have adjusted to make room for a new baby. (And if you aren’t a parent yet, you’ll get the idea quickly enough if and when you have a child of your own!)

Viewpoints change.

When Tristan was one week old, we had family worship in the nursery one morning. We usually sing a hymn (because we figure there’s plenty of time later for Tristan to learn all the other songs out there) and then read a devotional and pray together. The hymn that morning was “Tell Me the Story of Jesus.” I hadn’t heard it in a while, and I wasn’t prepared for the verse that begins “Tell of the cross where they nailed Him, writhing in anguish and pain.” I looked down at the beautiful baby boy in my arms, and I couldn’t sing the rest of the song.

I’d never spent time pondering God’s point of view when Jesus died. Not from a parent’s perspective. And the thought of my son suffering, for any reason, made tears drip off my chin.

Viewpoints change.

As I write this, our home is packed up in boxes. Three weeks ago our conference asked my husband to be the senior pastor in a new district. In three weeks we need to be living in a new town, and we haven’t been able to find a home that fits our single­income-with-a-new-baby budget. This time last year? We thought we’d be staying in this place for several years, and with two incomes housing wasn’t an is­sue.

Viewpoints change.

I used to think that being a pastor’s wife would bring some kind of position of influence with it. In some cultures, I’m sure it does. But those of you in Western society are probably chuckling at my na­iveté. Yes, in Western culture it brings influence, but often that influence feels more like you’re wearing a bull’s-eye. I’ve learned that in my culture, ministry in­fluence comes with time and only after relationships have been developed so that people trust you.

Viewpoints change.

In this new feature for The Journal, I want to share a glimpse into my view of life as a young pastor’s wife. I understand that we may not all have the same opinion and that my views may ultimately change as well. But this feature column isn’t necessarily about being right—it’s more about sharing life.

And I am looking forward to sharing life with you.

Sarah K. Asaftei is a pastor’s wife and work-at-home mom in the southern United States. She grew up as a missionary kid; married an Eastern European; worked for the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission; and loves writing, traveling, evangelism, and women’s ministry. In addition to writing for The Journal, she also co-authors a blog for young pastors’ wives.