9 Proven Ways To Lower Your Blood Pressure On Sunday

The pastor’s wife has cleaned up the cereal which went over the side of the high chair and splattered all over the floor. One child has refused to put on the blue shirt because he wants to wear the green shirt and has thrown a tantrum when she insisted he wear the blue one.

Another child interrogates her brother, "Where's my Bible?" as if he was the one who had purposefully misplaced it.

This harassed wife changes her mind as to what to wear that morning only to discover the desired item needed to be hurriedly ironed.

Sibling squabbles erupt as she attempts to apply her makeup and she breathes a deep sigh of relief at the thought of no one coming to her house for Sunday lunch.

Her husband has been up early, locked away in his study praying, waiting on God and putting the finishing touches to his sermon. He appears at this point and asks his wife, ‘Are you ready?’ and then becomes somewhat annoyed if she isn’t!!

Oh what this pastor’s wife would give on a Sunday morning to be able to rise from her bed, spend time with her God, peacefully get herself ready and then just walk out door.

Sounds like a touch of heaven!

Sunday for so many pastors’ wives can be, and is, the most pressurized day in her week.

9 Proven Ways To Lower Your Blood Pressure On Sunday

1. Prepare everything you need on Saturday  Some examples would be : Ensure clothes are ironed, the baby bag is packed, all shoes are located (one shoe always has a miraculous way of disappearing) and car keys are in their normal place.

2. Be alert to spiritual opposition. The devil knows which of your buttons to press on a Sunday to majorly increase your levels of stress which result in you being upset, frustrated, agitated and angry. Recognise these buttons within yourself and counteract them in advance with prayer and a determination for victory in these areas.

Also be alert for repetitious and repeated happenings that only occur on a Sunday. Some examples would be : A normally healthy child is sick only on a Sunday, siblings who get along well with one another only fight on a Sunday. Again, counteract these in advance with prayer.

3. Avoid all trigger points of contention Especially avoid any points of disagreement between yourself and your husband prior to leaving home and while driving to church. This is not the time for a heated debate, expression of opinion from an opposite point of view, emotional reaction or words spoken in a sharp tone of voice. Let the peace of God abide and save it for another time.

Use the time both going to and from church to encourage your man, to let him know you believe in him, and remind him that God will take or has taken the word he has preached to make a transforming difference in the people’s lives.

4. Train your volunteers If they are unable to be there on their scheduled roster day, make sure they know it is their responsibility to swap with someone else and not call you. Ensure a list of people on roster and their contact details are given to everyone so when a circumstance arises when they are unable to be there they have options available with whom they can swap. Then operate resolved self-control and don’t answer your phone pre-service on a Sunday.

5. Secure the services of a Sunday nanny A Sunday nanny will free up and release the pastor’s wife both pre and post service to do all she needs or is required to do – greet, talk, pray for people and all the other responsibilities.

The Sunday nanny may be a young adult, an older woman, a grandmother or basically anyone you would trust with your children.

The job description for a Sunday nanny would look something like this :

Pre-service - Meet the pastor’s wife in the car park upon her arrival at church; assist to unload the children, ensure all necessary items are gathered up and herd the children safely into the building; accompany the children to their age appropriate children’s ministry areas, get them registered and settled.

Post service – Collect the children from their various ministry areas;  take them to a designated quiet area; feed them with whatever is appropriate or sandwiches their mother has prepared in advance; care for them for approximately a half hour. The pastor’s wife is then free to give her attention to the people without being distracted by feeling an internal urgency to collect her children.

One pastor’s wife I know who regularly preaches when her husband is away, has her Sunday Nannie come to her home. The Nannie is there for breakfasting and dressing and getting the children ready while she spends time with God in preparation to preach.

6. Put off and put on as you enter the church property If all is not well with your soul or you are emotionally not calm, as you arrive onto the church property breathe in a deep breathe. Then say, ‘I put off all of this (name it) and I put on praise and confidence, God’s ability and God’s anointing to be the woman He has called me to be today.’

7. Buy lunch on your way home from church as regularly as your budget allows.

8. Adjust your perspective away from Sunday being your Sabbath Sunday is a work day for you and not a day of rest. Schedule into your diary another day as your Sabbath where you can relax and enjoy some quality self time and time with your outstanding God.

Although Sunday may be the most pressurized day in the week for a pastor’s wife, when we look from God’s perspective Sunday is probably one of the most important days in His week.

It is the day when people go to church, connect with and focus on Him, their heart is open towards Him and He is able to minister to them. Pastor’s wife, in the midst of it all, you assist God to fulfil His heart’s desire for His people.