Ephesians 4:1-6
As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My pastor called to tell me that one of our church members, Miss Ollie Fae Jackson, passed away. She was 92 and had lived in a local nursing home for some time now. Our pastor has only lived here for about six years, so he didn’t know much about Miss Jackson and hoped that I might be able to share some memories of her.
Miss Jackson was our high school business teacher for 30 years. She taught my mother and dad, my sister, brother and me - and countless other students – how to type. She also taught accounting, stenography (how to take dictation), and she managed the school newspaper and yearbook production. She was a very tiny woman who sort of reminded me of Popeye’s girlfriend, “Olive Oyl”. Miss Jackson zipped around the classroom and hallways in canvas “Redball Jets” tennis shoes...earning herself the nickname of “Jet Jackson”. She did not approve of this moniker...and many mischievous students reveled in whispering “Jet” within earshot and watching her bristle.
To say that students were not very nice to Miss Jackson at times would be an understatement. One could argue that they were just being kids...and that this was how they coped with her serious attitude and seemingly brusque demeanor. But what none of us realized was that Miss Jackson had a lot of responsibilities...and probably more than a few burdens, too. Her dad passed away in 1951...the year she began her teaching career at our high school. My mother remembers when she learned to drive, which was probably out of necessity to shuttle herself and her mother where they needed to go. Miss Jackson and her mother lived in a really tiny house in the heart of town. Her mother passed away in 1979, and Miss Jackson was her caregiver.
Miss Jackson was always faithfully devoted to her church, and after her retirement from teaching, she turned her attention to caring for family members and people in the community. She cooked and delivered countless meals to those who were sick or in need...and she did this well into her 80s! Very few people knew that she did these things. She was a quiet, humble servant and disciple.
I put a post on Facebook and asked fellow students to share their memories of Miss Jackson. Almost to a person, those who responded credited her with teaching them to type. Many shared stories of how she had helped them or been particularly lenient and kind. One woman shared that Miss Jackson helped her figure out how to type while accounting for the fact that she was missing a thumb!
My point in sharing all of this is to say that this precious servant demonstrated many of the traits of Ephesians 4:1-6. She may not have been particularly gentle with us...but she certainly operated in humility and patience. She put up with the antics and teasing of teenagers and did her best to live in peace with others. She continued to demonstrate love for others even when some did not act very lovingly toward her - and in spite of the hardships and struggles that her peppered her life. It is no surprise that teenagers often do not fully understand the adults who are part of their lives...or appreciate them as fellow human beings. But the grace and mercy of God is evident in people like Miss Jackson, who continue to faithfully pass on these gifts and blessings to others, regardless of how they are treated in return.
To many, it might appear that Miss Jackson didn’t have all that great of a life. She never married, lived in a teeny little house and cared for her aging mother, then lived there alone for almost 40 years as her siblings and other family members passed on and left her behind. But I would argue that Miss Jackson didn’t see it that way at all. In fact, I bet she would tell you how rich, wonderful...and blessed her life was. She recognized the ministry in her life’s work...and she was at peace with the circumstances. And we would do well to emulate her.
True Christian discipleship is not about where we live, how much we have, whether we marry and have children, or our physical appearance. A faith-filled servant demonstrates humility, gentleness, grace, mercy, forgiveness, patience, and love – and displays peace and joy in all circumstances. Miss Jackson projected all of these things...and in doing so, she was more of a teacher than even she realized. Many learned a whole lot more from her than merely typing and bookkeeping!
What have you learned from the “teachers” in your midst? Are you a “teacher” of the Good News of Jesus Christ? When your earthly life ends, how will others remember you? How do they know you now?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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