A Person Who Walks Alongside Others

by Esther Shin on September 7

These days, I have been traveling to churches throughout the United States, where I am invited to speak at women’s fellowship gatherings and lead seminars for women leaders.

Whenever I return home after a ministry engagement, I often quietly ask the Lord, “Lord, I was not born in America. I immigrated here when I was in the 12th grade. My English is not fluent, and I am still lacking in many ways. Why do so many churches invite me to speak?”

Whenever I ask that question, my heart becomes humbled.

Not long ago, after speaking at a church, I was greeting the congregation when a woman approached me with tears in her eyes. She asked if she could have a few moments with me, so we went into a quiet room.

After hesitating for a long time, she opened her heart. She told me that the burdens of life had weighed on her for so long that she had lost all hope of living. She had even reached the point of considering ending her life.

Then, in a trembling voice, she said, “After hearing your testimony today, I felt that I wanted to live again. Please pray for me.”

I could not say anything. I simply held her tightly, cried with her, and prayed.

At that moment, only one confession remained in my heart: “Lord, You are the One who saves this person. It is not me.”

As we finished praying, my heart remained quiet. In that silence, I sensed the Lord reminding me, “It is not because you have done well. My name, not yours, must be exalted. You are not someone who stands in front. You are someone who walks with Me.”

Those words always lead me to the lowest place. They help me lay down my desire to draw attention to myself and instead desire that God alone would be glorified.

As I walk the path of being a pastor’s wife, I often ask myself, “Am I walking ahead of the people I serve, or am I walking alongside them?”

Being a pastor’s wife is a grateful calling. Yet, without realizing it, we can become people who are always “teaching”—telling others how to have faith, encouraging them to pray, and pointing them toward the right direction.

But whenever I look at Jesus, my heart becomes still.