Loneliness in Ministry {I need your input, ladies!}

I want to tackle a little mini series here on our Minister’s Wife Monday column… but…

As silly as it may sound, I’m having a bit of difficulty feeling like this Minister’s Wife column is getting off the ground.  I know, I know… it’s just the second post.     

My problem isn’t a lack of ideas to write about.  Goodness, those ideas keep me up at night!

The trouble for me is pinning down one topic to write about each week… because I want to tackle everything all at once.  Of course, I can’t do that.  I mean, that would entail writing a book or something.   I don’t see book writing as being part of my immediate or far away (or maybe ever) future, so I need to get this blog column thing on it’s feet.

And I would dearly love your input!

Maybe it’s just me, but does loneliness seem like a big deal for a lot of ministry wives?  I know it has been a big deal (at times) for me, and I seriously doubt I’m the only one who has struggled with feelings of isolation and just longing for someone who really “gets” me.

I’ve been prayerfully considering this issue of loneliness as it relates to preacher’s wives, and a few specific topics came to mind:

• when it feels like your husband doesn’t understand you (perhaps the deepest kind of loneliness a woman can experience!)
• when you live far away from your family because of ministry
• when you don’t really have any like-minded friends

Do any of these loneliness-issues ring a bell with you?  

What other topics related to loneliness would you like to talk about here at the blog? 

How has loneliness affected you as a wife?  How has it affected your family?

image courtesy

I would like to devote a post for each of these topics (and perhaps any others you can think of), so maybe we can spread this “loneliness in ministry” mini-series out over the next three or four weeks.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback on this issue.  

Has loneliness ever been a part of your life as a minister’s wife?  How so?