A Faithful Witness

 

I didn’t vote for Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election. As a naive 18-year-old non-political first-time voter, I wasn’t thrilled with either candidate. So I wrote-in the name of someone else who I thought would do better. Of course, the result was a wasted vote.

I know there are mixed feelings about Jimmy Carter’s presidency, and I am still a non-political person who hasn’t studied the history enough to comment on that. But there is one thing that has stuck out to me during the two weeks since his passing: both political foes/rivals as well as loved ones and friends all seem to agree that Jimmy Carter was a man of integrity – the same person in private settings as he was in public ones.

As I watched his funeral service last week, I heard the same adjectives describing Carter over and over again from both Republicans and Democrats alike. Words like humble, honest, kind, tenderhearted, principled, disciplined, and frugal. Everyone seemed to agree that he was a man of character with a strong work ethic and an unwavering faith who lived a life of service to others. Jimmy Carter treated all people with respect regardless of their color or station in life, and he put people over politics and chose to love his neighbor as himself. He stood for truth, peace, and justice; and he fought for both human rights and civil rights long after his presidency ended.

We know that Carter’s real relationship with God guided his life completely, but he seemed to excel at allowing faith to direct everything he said and did. As a former President of the United States, he chose to return to the small town of his origin and put down deep roots with the people who lived there. He seemed to have no problem living most of his life in a county where a large percentage of the residents belonged to a different race and social class than him.

These glimpses into who Jimmy Carter was make me stop and think. How many of us will be able to have the same kinds of things said about us when we leave this world? How many of us are exactly the same in private as we are in public? How closely do I follow in Jesus’ steps, placing people and relationships above any other agenda I might have? I’m pretty sure Jimmy Carter heard “Well done, good and faithful servant” when he entered his heavenly home, but what about the rest of us?

Food for thought, but don’t forget that we don’t have to succeed on our own. Praise God for his presence with us and that he helps us to live in ways that bring him glory. And thank you, Jimmy Carter, for your selfless example for us all.