Proverbs 3:1-6
My son, never forget the things I’ve taught you. If you want a long and satisfying life, closely follow my instructions. Never tire of loyalty and kindness. Hold these virtues tightly. Write them deep within your heart. If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” – Former President Jimmy Carter
A February 20, 2023, article was posted in The New York Times by Kai Bird, director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography and the author of The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter. Titled “Jimmy Carter’s Presidency Was Not What You Think”, Bird related an encounter with the former President at the Carter Center, where Carter lectured attendees on the eradication of Guinea worm disease.
Bird’s article is enlightening as he outlines many of President Carter’s perceived successes and failures while in office. But he notes that Carter’s entire life has been an extension of the work he did as our 39th President…and many of his greatest accomplishments have occurred out of office. Carter is quoted as saying, “I believe that anyone can be successful in life, regardless of natural talent or the environment within which we live. This is not based on measuring success by human competitiveness for wealth, possessions, influence, and fame, but adhering to God’s standards of truth, justice, humility, service, compassion, forgiveness, and love.”
Greg and I were just finishing college when Jimmy Carter was elected President of the United States. Counting President Joe Biden, there have been thirteen sitting Presidents in our lifetime. Like many of you, we have seen a lot of leadership “styles” and attitudes. And while some have worked diligently to operate in the tenets that President Carter describes in this quote about “success” and service to God, others have done everything humanly possible to deride and divide us with their lies, deceit, and downright arrogance and hatred.
The more-than-a-half-century of my life serves as a microcosm of study in many instances of “What Not to Do!” I don’t mean to be negative, but truthfully, I don’t believe we are presently handing my great-nieces-and-nephews and cousins a better world than the one in which we grew up in many respects. And I think God must hang His head in shame and despair much of the time over how low some of us have sunk. But I firmly believe we can still “turn this ship around!” I believe we can take a good hard look at what Solomon proclaimed in the Proverbs…and what President Jimmy Carter and other genuinely faithful servants have modeled.
I believe we can shift from hatred to hope…from killing to kindness…from arrogance to humility…and from evil and sin to surrender and service of the Most High God. President Carter is quoted as saying, “We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon.” It seems to me that we all have work to do to make this the rule in our lives. It is time for us to truly put God first – and let Him guide and guard our every word and action. Alleluia, and Amen!
©2024 Debbie Robus
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