Does being married help when you work for God?

I was reading in the paper (yes, I still read an actual physical paper) that the Catholic Church has made some clarifications to the policy of accepting married Anglican priests who want to convert.  Of course, Catholic priests are forbidden to marry, and so it's a bit odd when people encounter a priest who is married (because he used to be Anglican).  The Pope's spokesman insisted that this would have no bearing on the continuing policy of requiring priests to be celibate in the Catholic Church.
Which raises the question; does being married make it easier or harder to minister to God's people?  As far as I'm concerned it was never an issue.  Paul may have seen the positive side of being free to do whatever he felt the Lord wanted of him, but I knew from my teen years that I was not the kind of guy who would be happy alone.  I'm content to sit and read a good book or take a run by myself in the woods, but I always knew that I needed someone to share life with.
That doesn't really answer the question though.  Does being a husband first and a pastor second make being a pastor easier?  In my experience it does, and the reason is simple.  I've learned more about patience, kindness, gentleness, humility, forgiveness, hope, trust, love, etc. etc. from my marriage to my beautiful wife Nicole (she insists I always refer to her here as "my beautiful wife Nicole", just kidding, no really she does) than I have from all of my friendships and family.  Why is this?  I can't walk away.  I know that some people in a marriage take a break when they're having trouble (a fight or disagreement, or just getting on each other's nerves), but Nicole and I have never been that way.  I can't go to sleep if one of us is upset with the other.  I can't watch TV or do anything relaxing if I know that Nicole and I have a problem that is unresolved.  Perhaps not everyone would appreciate that, but I've learned so much from the need to sort through our problems.  I've learned to set my emotions aside and consider what is in the best interest of my wife; I've learned to ignore petty things and focus on building for the future; and I've learned to put my ideals into practice no matter what I may or may not want to do (molding character by doing the right thing first regardless of motives and letting that build toward the right motives).
Has it been easy?  Not really.  My ongoing job saga has made life difficult for my wife and caused trouble, and financial pressure weigh on me far more than they would if I was concerned with only my own needs.  But it's worth it.  How could I minister to my flock if I can't first minister to my wife?  How could I preach loving kindness if I'm not practicing it at home during the week?  And how could I endure the ups and downs of working for the Lord if I didn't know that my wife's love was a constant that I could always fall back upon?
Does being married make being a pastor easier?  It has made me a better Christian and a better man.  I'm pretty sure I needed to be both of those to be the pastor that God wants me to be.