Last week a hometown church friend, Bill, lost his wife, Ginger, after a battle with memory loss and all the ugly that goes with it. She was his everything.

Ginger held high positions in county government and was recognized by the governor of Indiana with the state’s highest award for service, the Sagamore of the Wabash.  A few years ago, I was home and wanted to slip into my childhood church. It was late afternoon on a weekday, and I thought it was unlikely the church would be open, but I bounded up the steps, hopeful that someone might be there. I pulled on the massive doors to the architectural magnificence of Tyson Temple and to my surprise, they opened. I walked in and looked to my right to see what the clamouring noise was about.  It was Ginger vacuuming the steps. I greeted her with a puzzled look, and she quietly explained that she cleaned the church after work. Well, she did not clarify exactly why, but she was helping where needed. 

This person of influence took her role seriously. Not her worldly position, but her discipleship.  Ginger demonstrated her ability to influence the behavior and opinions of others through her position of humility, exemplifying this through purposeful and deliberate actions. 

Sagamore of the Wabash or custodian? I’ll remember Ginger welcoming me into the church that day when I needed a quiet moment in a pew. I believe God is welcoming her home with much more than a prestigious state award– But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—1 Cor 2:9 

This fellow Hoosier has received the Sagamore of Glory.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, 

As Paul wrote, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship,” – we too pray that we offer our lives daily to you in humble service regarding the things of this world temporary. Amen (from Romans 12:1)