Why Jimmy Carter may be more influential in his 90s than when he was president

Jimmy Carter's cancer has brought him into the public eye in a new way. With his mortality so close at hand, many Americans are reflecting on Jimmy Carter, the man. And I, for one, like what I see. It is good for my soul -- and for the American soul -- to have a political leader to look up to. As I remember him, Jimmy Carter was a marginally effective President. But I have a feeling his imprint on America may be greater in his 90s than it was when he was the most powerful man in the world.


Carter has attempted to live quietly and steadily as a public servant. There is a constancy about him that the rest of us would do well to observe and take in. Here's one way it has showed itself: Carter goes to church.

When Jimmy Carter was president, the news on a weekend would go something like this: "The president went to church this morning. And in other news..." The president quietly went to church, and that wasn't the real news. There is a lesson in this for us.

Carter's quiet habit of going to church reflects who he was and is. He goes to church not to make an appearance but because it's important to him. His faith draws him to church.

Carter's quiet habit of going to church also has made him who he was and is. He goes to church to be trained as a disciple of Jesus. His faith grows as he is in church.

In a clamorous age of selfies, vlog hits and viral videos where jockeying for attention is seen as the way to get ahead, we do well to observe Jimmy Carter's quiet habit of going to church. Carter's story shows us that much like the tortoise and the hare, a "long obedience in the same direction" will allow us to leave the deepest and best imprint on the world.

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