By Rev. Dr. Rick Jordan
Last year, I won my first-ever ribbon at a county fair. It had never been my aspiration to win such grand recognition. The opportunity fell into my lap unexpectedly.
For years, I have helped my wife and other members of the Lewisville Garden Club set up and clean up their flower show at the Carolina Classic Fair in Winston-Salem, NC. With my computer and printer, I also created and published the labels for each entry category. I have more strength and more tech skills than the average club member, so I’m happy to help.
However, last year, late-hour drama caught us by surprise. I won’t go into the details here. Suffice it to say that one of the club members got upset at something that may or may not have been misinterpreted, so she pulled her education entry out of the show. A flower show must have at least two education booths to be considered a valid show in which people’s winning can count for their qualification to be a flower show judge. With this pull-out, there would only be one exhibit. The flower show could go on, but it would count for nothing as far as the higher powers in Garden World are concerned.
That’s when my wife voluntold me to come up with an education booth. I had less than 24 hours. I knew the person who pulled out, so I contacted her. Did she have anything she’d be willing to share with me to help me out? She graciously sent me her outline. It was very brief, but it got me started. I did quick research, printed photographs of “Plants of the Prairies”, and wrote captions on how each of these plants was used by our country’s western pioneers (such as food, medicine, basket weaving, etc.). I rushed to the fairgrounds and put the booth together. The other booth was amazing, as it itemized how many pounds of different foods and spices were needed for a wagon train trip across the wilderness. It was like a museum exhibit. Mine looked like something an average fourth-grader could have done. Still, I came in second place and got a well-deserved (in my opinion) bright red second-place ribbon.
Unlike Garden World, we in the volunteer leadership of Church World do not get ribbons, medals, or other tokens of appreciation. Sometimes we will get a thank-you note or a hug. We might get a room named after us if we unexpectedly die in service, but that is, thankfully, rare. Still, there are rewards, aren’t there? Here are a few:
The confirmation of our belief that we can make a positive difference.
The joy of building community and friendship with others.
The discovery and use of gifts that are unique to us.
We don’t serve seeking a reward. Still, there is always a return on our investment of time, energy, and talent. It may not be a tangible ribbon or trophy to put on display. It may be the simple divine whisper from deep within, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
These thoughts are from Rev. Dr. Rick Jordan, our partner based out of Lewisville, North Carolina. He is a 20+-year member of Ardmore Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC where he leads an adult Bible study, serves as a deacon and on the Vision Navigation Team. He has also ministered in various leadership roles from local churches to state and national levels. Contact him for more information on how our partner can help you.