The Making of A Good First Lady
By Robbie Colson-Ramsey
I was home, doing what many of us have been for the past seven months, flipping through the over 300 channels we have. I suddenly stopped flipping on CNN when I heard a commercial that made a statement. CNN simply asked, “What qualities make a good first lady?” Now, you know they were not talking about the first lady of a church but for the United States.
That whole topic made me stop and think, “Are we really what the people want or are we doing a three-way tango between what the church wants, what the church needs, and the first lady not losing themselves?” So, I set out to compose a non-scientific list of what I think are good characteristics of a first lady though you may think differently.
The characteristics include:
- Know and have a relationship with the Lord.
- Be willing to assist.
- Do not distance from the members of the church.
- Understand first ladies are not the pastor.
- Help members of the church and the pastor.
- Encourager to church and community.
- Be an incubator of prayers and ideas of members and the pastor.
- Be a wise, active listener and observer.
- Have a humble spirit.
- Be honest.
- Own your identity.
- Be well-balanced.
- Have excellent communication skills.
- Get along with all people.
- Support the vision of the church.
- Be a positive example for the women of the church.
- Be obedient to God’s Word.
- Love people.
- Do not be jealous.
- Exercise patience.
- Avoid gossip.
- Have a genuine love for the church.
- Avoid being overly familiar.
- Be a peacemaker.
- Complete your mate by filling in their weakness.
This list not only defines characteristics for great first ladies. They are attributes for anyone hoping and praying to be a great person. My mother always said, “You can be nothing more than you ask of people.”
