“But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” – Matthew 14:30 (NIV)
The path to ministry varies greatly from person to person. Some spend their whole lives pursuing and fine-tuning their ministry roles with a passion right from the start, while others are swept up unexpectedly and have absolutely no idea what they are doing or where they are going. My husband and I were like the latter description. The good news is that God uses all these forms of ministry for His glory. As a wife, it has been an immense honor to hold my husband’s hand through this newfound calling. God has had so much grace and blessing over us even when the path was unknown, and the waves felt large as we journeyed on this road.
Before ministry, my husband had chosen a career in medicine. We were involved in a rural family medicine clinic for nearly 5 years and were in love with serving the small community in this way. My husband has always had a heart for helping people when they are in pain or suffering. He was very good at his job. Suddenly, 2020 knocked the medicinal world upside down, and we had to make very ethical and biblical decisions to steer away from a toxic clinic environment.
Standing up for God’s truth led us to lose my husband’s medical job and frantically try to provide an alternative source of income for our growing family of four children. Within a matter of weeks, we moved out of our house and relocated to a new town in search of a new job. This was one of my “waves” moments. I saw nothing but worry and anxiety over my future and everything I held dear. I grieved with my husband over the loss of a profession we both loved serving within and the security on which we had been relying. I remember crying out, “Why Lord?” He only provided me with one phrase. “Be with your husband.” During this moment, I had a choice. I could dissolve my faith in the Lord, or I could remain fiercely steadfast in my belief that God’s will was sovereign and good. I chose to pray instead of denying the Lord and clinging to Him instead of turning away. I chose to stand firm with my husband.
“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, ‘why did you doubt?’” – Matthew 14:31(NIV)
The next year would be one of the hardest years of my life, but I clung to that one phrase “be with your husband.” So much suffering crushed our spirits: financial difficulties, children with horrible sicknesses, dark depression, and a constant strain on our family and marriage. I remember choosing to read Psalms repeatedly, lamenting my thoughts on my Bible, pleading with God for healing, crying to Him for peace in my life and family.
Through this season, the Bible was my lifeline, and this period of suffering was not without purpose. God was extending my heart for a future I did not know of yet. My crying slowly turned to resolve and greater faith. My fear turned to hoping expectantly. My identity turned not to what I owned or the successes we had achieved but rather simply being a child of God.
What’s funny about losing it all is that you remember you have gained everything by being a part of the family that is in Christ Jesus. 1 Peter 1:6-7 reminds us, “though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold.” God needed my husband and me tested, proven, and strengthened for the next phase of our lives. We needed to endure so that we could uphold more and bear greater fruit. We needed to be united under all circumstances as husband and wife. Our future church family was waiting for us; we just didn’t know it yet.
“And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.” – Matthew 14:32(NIV)
The year 2023 for our family would start rocky, but we fiercely chose to follow God’s calling with reckless abandon. Through this trial, we gained a steadfast belief in Jesus. As a surprise, God opened a door for us to move back into our community and settle into our simple life before expecting our fifth child.
While we were weeks away from welcoming our daughter to the world, our dear friend and Spanish Church Pastor, Forrest Bohlen, passed away suddenly after surgery. We were devastated for our church community and for his beautiful wife and family. My husband, who happened to be fluent in Spanish, offered to help run the service for the Spanish church in the aftermath of losing their pastor.
God, it seemed, had relocated our family back to this town at the exact moment He needed us willing to serve. This one decision to volunteer at a moment’s notice would spark the journey of my husband pastoring the Spanish Church full-time and lead us to accept the call of ministry. Soon after this choice, my husband left medicine completely, yet now he can fully say God is using him to heal the souls of people by preaching the gospel every Sunday. The greatest medicine we can offer is the one under the grace and mercy Jesus offers us by believing in Him.
It has been nearly 3 years since my husband became the Spanish Pastor at Centerpoint Church in Pagosa Springs. We have seen baptisms, salvations, and transformations of husbands, wives, and families. We have had the blessing of being supported by the Send Network through our journey and feel honored to maintain the Spanish church plant sparked by our dear friend Forrest Bohlen and his wife Becky.
I would like to say that our life has infinitely calmed down since accepting our ministry role, but as a pastor’s spouse, I don’t think there’s a day I can cease praying fervently and desperately clinging to the Lord. I will say, though, that the waves no longer scare me, and the strength that God has given us has brought peace over our life that is simply beyond understanding.
As a wife of a pastor now, I urge all my dear sisters in Christ to never stop praying fiercely over their husbands and allowing God to move you even when the path is uncertain. Allow His hand to guide you and take you through the waves into His calming peace.
Lisa Merino has been serving with her husband, Lloyd Merino, at Iglesia Centerpoint in Pagosa Springs, Colorado since 2023.
