Teckla caught me writing this and said, “I am not worth writing about.” I will write about her anyway because there was a scene in the video series The Chosen that perfectly expressed why I love her so much and why I am so blessed to be married to her.
The video series The Chosen begins with the stories of each of the 12 apostles being called to follow Jesus. The writers try to imagine all the family and economic dynamics of each apostle saying yes to Jesus’s call. We have been watching the first season of The Chosen Thursday nights at the church.
Last week we watched the story of Peter being called. Peter’s call was accompanied by a miraculous catch of fish and the promise of Jesus that Peter would be made a fisher of men. The back story of Peter shows him facing a financial crisis because of the taxes he owes the Romans. So, the huge catch of fish that nearly sunk the boats was deliverance from an impending disaster of losing his boat and his home.
When Peter came to tell his wife about the miracle and about the call to follow the Messiah, he was both elated and worried. The good news was that all their taxes would be paid for by the huge catch of fish. The bad news was that he was giving up fishing to follow a rabbi called Jesus. He doesn’t know how his wife will respond.
Almost nothing is said about Peter’s wife in the Bible. We do know that Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14). And Paul refers to other apostles, including Cephas (Peter), who take believing wives with them in their travels (I Corinthians 9:5). The writers for The Chosen do an excellent job of showing what Peter’s “believing wife” might have been like.
After hearing Peter’s news, his wife is at first speechless. Peter is apologetic. But then it becomes clear that she is over-joyed, and that her tears are tears of joy, not frustration. Peter is surprised but delighted. His wife rejoices that he is finally becoming the man God meant him to be. Peter thought he might be dragging her along behind him, but it turns out that she was ahead of him, leading the way with faith and joy.
This is the kind of wife Teckla has been. Often with trepidation I have said to Teckla that I think God is calling us to move here, go there, adopt these kids. I then ask her to pray and see if I have discerned God’s voice clearly, only to discover God has already spoken to her. In all my fumbling efforts to find and follow God’s leading, she has only responded with joy and faith—never grumbling and criticism.
When we moved to Myrtle Point to care for my mother after my Dad’s death, we left behind the first house we had bought. Teckla moved away from her many friends in Olathe and Kansas City. I was leaving a job without any promise of a job in Oregon. All of this was in response to my desire to honor my parents—the fifth commandment. Teckla and I had only had “our own house” for a year. It was hard to give up, but Teckla never complained or moped; she embraced the adventure with love and grace.
I could give example after example of Teckla’s faith. She has given me the freedom to pursue God passionately, and in turn I have tried to free her to do the same. It is hard to explain how much joy such freedom brings. Even when I had led us into a literal wilderness, Teckla never grumbled. (I once got us lost in the Ozark National Forest in the middle of the summer).
Teckla believes in God. And despite all my faults and weaknesses, she has believed in me. Having such a believing wife makes me blessed beyond measure and the richest of men.
