Saints in My Book

Some saints will never be remembered on a church calendar or written about in a book of saints. Their names may not be known beyond their families, classrooms, churches, and communities. Yet they will always be saints in my book.

My parents were among my first saints. They were imperfect people, as we all are, but they gave me the foundation upon which my life was built. Life on a farm in Mississippi taught me about work, responsibility, faith, family, hardship, and perseverance. Long before I understood how deeply those years were shaping me, my parents were planting seeds that would continue growing throughout my life.

Then there were my teachers.

From Mrs. Smith, my first-grade teacher, to Dr. Barry Bryant, my professor at Memphis Theological Seminary, I have been blessed by women and men who answered the call to teach and lead others. Their work often required countless hours, great patience, and sometimes even money from their own pockets.

They did more than teach lessons, assign books, and give examinations. They challenged me to become a lifelong learner—to remain curious, ask questions, examine what I had been taught, and explore new ideas and methods. They opened doors and helped me recognize possibilities I could not yet see for myself.

Not every saint stands behind a pulpit. Some stand beside a child’s desk. Some write encouraging words in the margin of a paper. Some patiently welcome difficult questions instead of silencing them.

I am also grateful for the Free Will Baptist, Nazarene, United Methodist, and Episcopal churches that welcomed me along the way. Each tradition planted seeds of understanding and discipline and gave me practices that helped me discover more fully what it means to follow Jesus.

Because of these communities, I learned to seek truth through Sacred Writings, tradition, reason, and experience. They opened my mind to something greater than doctrines and rituals. Through them, I met Jesus and learned to follow him.

I remember Thomson Creek Free Will Baptist Church, which called a young man of fifteen to lead them. I will never forget the time we shared or the trust they placed in me.

I remember West Laurel United Methodist Church, which taught me what discipleship could look like when we joined together in recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina. Discipleship was not simply something we discussed inside the church. It became love expressed through service.

I remember King’s Way United Methodist Church, the Prime Timers Sunday School Class, and the Classic Seniors Thursday gatherings. They gave me opportunities to put many pieces of my life and faith together and to see more of God.

I give thanks for the fellow pilgrims I have met along the journey: Richard, Evelyn, Rick, Anthony, Tony, Toy, Claiborne, and Rex. Thank you for walking beside me, sharing your stories, and giving something from your lives to mine.

I am grateful to the mother of my children, to my children, and to my grandchildren for the support and love they have given me. I will always treasure what I have learned and experienced through each of them.

None of these people or communities was perfect. Saints are not people who never make mistakes. They are people through whom grace reaches us—sometimes through a lesson, an opportunity, an act of service, an honest conversation, a shared journey, or faithful love.

One of the fruits of following Jesus is gratitude. When I look back over my life, I recognize how richly I have been blessed.

Thank you, God, for the many saints and fellow pilgrims I have met along the way. Thank you for every person who planted a seed, opened a door, challenged my thinking, walked beside me, or helped me discover more of your mysterious grace.

My prayer is that I, too, have enriched the lives of others as deeply as I have been enriched by those with whom I have traveled.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a saint?

Jesus taught us to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. When you bring light into someone’s darkness, preserve what is good, offer hope, share wisdom, or walk beside another person in love, you are a saint in my book.

It is not always easy. Following Jesus asks something of us. Yet it is deeply rewarding to look back and see where we have been, whom we have met, and how grace has traveled between us. Then we can look ahead toward the road of life still waiting to be traveled.

May God continue to guide our steps. May we remain curious, grateful, and open to the fellow pilgrims we will meet along the way. May each of us become a little more willing to be salt, light, and a bearer of God’s mysterious grace.

They may never write our names in an official book of saints, but perhaps, through God’s grace, we can become saints in one another’s books.