I was born during the Nixon presidency, but the first President I remember was Jimmy Carter. I just learned today that he died on December 29th.
If there is a single human being who would ever have convinced me to return to Christianity, it was him. Like most Americans I didn’t know him, but I did see all the things he did, and I recognized the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth in his behaviors. Even when he was President, he was a devout man, struggling to balance his faith with his job as a politician. To date, the only lasting peace in the Middle East was brokered by Jimmy Carter. After he left the Presidency, he built houses for Habitat for Humanity, was a Sunday School teacher, and every time I saw him on TV or Youtube, he was a shining beacon of what it meant to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
Most of the people I’ve known or have seen online who call themselves Christians have been assholes. My own youth pastor was a malignant narcissist who enjoyed causing me pain, making me gag, being a general douchebag... and then getting mad at me for “being offended” and reminding me of that classic slogan that he’s “only a sinner saved by grace.”
People like my youth pastor drove me away from Jesus. Their cruelty, their lies, their hypocrisy... and their endless excuses as to why all of that was completely okay. It was all a stench in my nostrils, worse than the smell of a sewage treatment plant. I can’t imagine God was all too happy about it either.
But those few people who do shine brightly, tend to not need to be recognized. Jimmy Carter was one of those men. He died at the ripe old age of 100 years. From what I’ve read, he “died the death of the righteous man.”
Rest in Peace, Mister President. I hope that you do hear those immortal words “well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
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3 weeks, 5 days ago
10 Jan 2025 05:03 CET
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