One of the questions the bishop asks a priest in their ordination vows is, “Will you do your best to pattern your life and that of your family in accordance with the teachings of Christ, so that you may be a wholesome example to your people?”  I remember when my bishop asked me that question over 16 years ago how daunting that question felt – not only for myself but also for my family.  Having grown up as a preacher’s kid, I remember thinking how much pressure that invitation felt:  for the whole family to be a wholesome example to the church. 

So, when the Church invited clergy and their spouses to attend a Wellness Conference last week, focusing on both physical and financial wellness, I had a revelation in one of those sessions:  this is what that promise was all about.  Tending to my family’s physical and financial wellness is patterning our life as an example.  And so are a lot of other things we do:  navigating parenting, tending to our marriage, working on my own physical, spiritual, and mental health.  Giving attention to all those areas are ways that we model faithful living.  And perhaps most importantly, being honest about the struggles, upfront about the good and the bad days, and inviting others to share their truth too creates the foundation where we can all more honestly journey in the life of faith authentically and encouragingly. 

My hope is that we do that work together in preaching and teaching too.  I cannot count the number of times someone has said to me after a church service, “That sermon was tough!  You gave me a lot to think about.”  My response is always the same, “Just remember, every sermon I preach is addressed to me too!”  If the words of Jesus or the story of God is challenging to you, you better believe those same things are challenging to me as well.  My hope is that by naming how hard they are, I am doing my work of being a wholesome example. 

All that is to say, I invite you to take an honest look at your witness to others (yes, even if you’re not a priest, others are looking at your life as your Christian witness).  Are you tending to your own wellness:  physical, spiritual, mental, financial?  Are you being open and honest about where your faith pinches and where you still struggle to make sense of it all?  Being a wholesome example doesn’t mean only showing others a “perfect life.”  Being a wholesome example means revealing your humanity and your desire to love God even when your capacity feels diminished.  Many more people will feel invited into a journey of faith if they feel like they can do that without trying to be perfect – just wholesome.