A significant life

I Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 

Elaine died last week. That actually feels quite strange to call her by her first name. You see, Miss Nicholas or later Dr. Nicholas was a professor of mine in college. According to the world not much about her would be considered significant. You probably don’t know her, and not many people outside of the small circle that she worked, taught and lived in knew her. She likely won’t have a large funeral and will be buried in a small quiet resting place just a mile or so from her very modest home. Yet, she was so significant!

She never married, lived simply and worked faithfully. She was totally devoted to the work of the Lord. She had degrees in languages and taught several classes including Greek at the small Bible college that I attended in central Indiana. In all she was professor there for 36 years. 

In college I would have described her as an “old-fashioned” lady whose life seemed rather mundane. She taught at the college and then supplemented her small ministry income by working other jobs including in the cafeteria at the local public school. 

But her death has reminded me that significance in the eyes of God is vastly different than significance that is measured by this world.

While the world teaches us to grab what we can and move on to the next thing God places a high value on faithfulness.

While the world values one by their notoriety, God measures us by a different standard, humility. 

While the world ask the question “what can I do for myself?” Jesus taught us that true greatness is seen in how we serve others.

To be humble, faithful and godly over the long haul is rare but it is very significant to God and in His Kingdom.

This was Miss Nicholas and her death has reminded me of the impact that she had on me and hundreds of other young men and women who have gone out of those small classrooms to impact the world with the Gospel. While she never stood behind a pulpit to preach she spent thousands of hours behind a lectern in a classroom faithfully building a foundation of Biblical literacy. Individuals who would stand before crowds, large and small, all over the world proclaiming the Gospel. 

Her life was exemplified by her Facebook page which was quiet and without a profile or cover photo of herself. It seemed she used it to keep in touch with her family and former students. In recent years she has sent Janel and me notes of encouragement and reminders of her prayers and support. 

I was thinking about her this week so I went out to my storage shed and dug out my GREEK I notebook from 1993. In it I found the memories of those classes all those years ago and I was reminded of the sweet, stern, faithful, godly Miss Nicholas. I snapped a couple photos of those old assignments and thanked God for her influence in my life.

In a world filled with people enamored with themselves, we need more people like Elaine. 

Well done Dr. Nicholas!

Revelation 2:10 – “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

BE ENCOURAGED, WE’RE CHRISTIANS!

Troy