STAR WORD UPDATE
In my Epiphany blog post, I wrote about the spiritual practice of receiving a star word - a word that can guide and challenge you over the course of a year. So far this January, I have distributed 78 stars to interested folks, including inmates at the Western Correctional Center for Women in Swannanoa, residents of the Recovery Living Ministry at Costello House, friends at First Baptist Church of Asheville, and readers of this blog. (If you would like to receive a star word, let me know.)
In my Epiphany blog post, I confessed I was initially not thrilled by the star word I drew for 2025 - loyalty. To counteract my negativity, I decided I would proactively spend the next few months looking for people who exhibit loyalty. I didn’t have to wait long to find a worthy example. While watching the funeral service for President Jimmy Carter on Thursday morning and listening to the moving eulogies, I sensed the Spirit of God whispering to me: “Pay attention. This is what loyalty looks like.”
According to Merriam-Webster, synonyms for loyalty include fidelity, allegiance, devotion, and piety. In every sphere of President Carter’s century-long life, he embodied loyalty. His 77-year marriage to Rosalynn is a portrait of fidelity. His allegiance to his country and the Constitution was on display in his service as a naval officer and Commander in Chief.
Carter’s devotion to his extended family, his friends, and his colleagues was clearly articulated by those who eulogized him at the moving service in the National Cathedral - grandsons Joshua and Jason Carter, President Gerald Ford (via his son), Vice President Walter Mondale (via his son), Stuart Eizenstat (Carter’s domestic advisor), and President Joe Biden.
The word piety often has negative overtones, but Jimmy Carter was pious in the best sense of the word. Carter didn’t simply speak the language of piety; he practiced what he preached. He practiced what Jesus preached.
President Carter loved God with his heart and soul and mind and strength and loved his neighbor as himself. The love of Christ compelled him to faithfully serve others in practical ways - teaching Sunday School, building houses for Habitat for Humanity, eradicating infectious diseases, monitoring elections, advocating for human rights, negotiating for peace.
Whenever I look at my paper star emblazoned with the word “loyalty” this year, I will think of President Jimmy Carter. Well done, good and faithful servant. I aspire to follow your stellar example.
