Everyone has a hero. Someone they look up to, someone they depend
on. Whether they're real or fiction. This person isn't perfect by any means,
but they do the best they can with what they have and for some reason it stood
out to you.
Mine is my Grandaddy. He's no
super hero; he doesn't wear a cape or fly around saving the world. But, in a
way, he's saved me. If you ask my best friends who my hero is, they will
definitely say my grandaddy. I tend to talk about him a lot.The first thing I
always tell people about him is that he's a pastor. Then if I bring him up
later they might say "oh yeah, he's a preacher right?" No, he's a
pastor. You see, to me there's a load of difference. A preacher is just someone
who comes and gives a sermon and then leaves. You can walk around in your
hometown and find preachers on street corners giving sermons. I'm not saying
preacher has a negative connotation, because it doesn't. My point is that a
pastor is so much more than a preacher. If you look up preacher in Webster's
dictionary you'll find the definitions of preach:
: to make a speech about
religion in a church or other public place : to deliver a sermon
: to write or speak about
(something) in an approving way : to say that (something) is good or necessary
: to write or speak in an
annoying way about the right way to behave
If you look up pastor in the
dictionary you'll find this:
: a spiritual overseer
: a shepherd
A pastor invests in his
congregation. He invests in the lives of the people around him. He becomes
their overseer, their shepherd. He is their guide. My Grandad didn't just
preach on Sunday morning and Sunday night and leave. His time was spent
visiting people in their houses, nursing homes and hospitals. It was spent
calling members on the phone to see how they were doing, and serving them the
best he could. I cannot recall a single time that I visited one of his churches
that several people have not come up to me and told me what a blessing he was.
When we go through the drive through at the bank he is greeted warmly with
"Hey Brother Noman!", when we make a stop at the Piggly Wiggly he
knows the teenagers that work there who also greet him the same way. It's like
a epidemic. Everywhere we go when I'm visiting, somebody knows him. I've even
come across people where I live now that remember him when he pastored here
over twenty years ago. My grandad still keeps in touch with them. When he
introduces me to the people at his church he tells me their names, the names of
their children, what sport their children play, where they go to school, the
list goes on and on. They aren't just faces to him. They are people, they are
his flock whom he dearly loves.
He is a servant. If I could
describe him in one word, that would be it. He isn't happy unless he is busy
helping someone. The joke around my house is if anything is broken just wait
for his next visit so he'll have something to fix. He is constantly seeking out
the needs of others and trying to meet them. Whether that be to help my
brothers study for a bible exam or my mom fix the kitchen sink. It's a gift
that he has been blessed with unlike anything I have ever seen.
He lives it. There are a lot of
people who can talk Christianity but don't actually walk it. Including myself.
The truth is without my Grandaddy, I would probably think it was hopeless. I
have never been surrounded by spiritual mentors: those who are older than me,
who I can go to with questions and look up to on how to live out my life for
Christ. When I look into my future I get scared because I don't have all the
answers. I don't know what it's like to be headed by a spiritual leader so I
have no idea what a biblical marriage relationship is supposed to look like.
What does true sacrificial love look like? What is reckless abandon for the
Lord? What does living a life of service and putting God first look like? I had
no idea. However, in the last few years especially, I have seen all these
things and more in the life of my hero.
He is love. A few years ago
tragedy stuck my family. My mema (his wife) was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This
hasn't been the first health issue she has had. For as long as I can remember
she had daily migraines. I remember her never being able to go putt putt or the
movies with us because her head always hurt. Then came strokes, and heart
surgery, and finally her memory. It has gotten progressively worse. Now she can
barely utter words, and she can't function without constant care 24-7. It is
heartbreaking to watch, but it is also beautiful. My grandad still looks at her
as if she is the most beautiful woman in the world. When he walks in the room
he still greets her with "sweetheart" and kisses her cheek. He has
given up freedom to be her caretaker and feed her and bathe her.
He gave up being a
pastor.
When she got worse he decided
that instead of going ahead and putting her in a nursing home, he would retire
and take care of her until he was no longer able to do so. When asked about it
my grandad commented that she had to put up with so much more from him. After
all, he didn't plan to be a pastor when they got married. How could he not be
there for her when she was there for him? Sacrificial love. Biblical marriage
relationship.
Love is patient, love is
kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not
dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the
truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
1st Corinthians 13:4-8
If there is any kind of love
that mirrors that verse, it is the love my grandad has for my mema. It is the
love he has for my family. It is the love he has for the people around him. He
means so much that his congregation still cooks for him and brings him meals
twice a week. When we went down there for Christmas around five couples came
with enough dishes to feed us for two weeks if we wanted. You see, I don't
think he will ever give up pastoring. He will always be a shepherd; even if
it's just for me and my brothers. He will always serve those around him and
visit people in houses, nursing homes, and hospitals when he can. He will
always be someone that others can look to for guidance. He will always be a
spiritual leader. He will always be a servant of God.
