Straight Paths-The Heart of a Servant

The Heart of a Servant

Loren Hardin

For The Ashland Beacon

This is part two of a series about Vannen and his wife, Eleanor. Vannen was admitted to hospice at age seventy-three with end-stage Parkinson’s disease. In part one, we read how a vague definition of love leaves us without a clear purpose or direction. We witnessed Vannen’s love for Eleanor, how he laid a path of 424 concrete blocks from the house to their fishpond so Eleanor, who had “bad ankles”, could access the pond and they could enjoy the pond together.

    Following is a story that Eleanor shared with me that further testifies of Vannen’s servant heart, “About two months after we both got saved, Vannen asked me, ‘How would you feel about going down to the church at Eifort?’I asked Vannen, ‘Why would you want to do that?’  He said, ‘Well, the church here in Oak Hill has plenty of help, but the church at Eifort doesn’t have much help.’”  Eleanor reflected, “Vannen had a way of looking ahead.  He never got excited.  He thought things through.”

     Eleanor continued, “It wasn’t long before Vannen became deacon at the church at Eifort. He maintained the building and oversaw the building projects. Vannen could fix anything; and he even filled in and taught when the pastor was out.”  But Eleanor also had a servant’s heart, she reflected, “When we didn’t have a piano player, I thought I’d take piano lessons.  I thought I would just learn enough notes to play, but when I told the teacher what I wanted to do, she took me straight to the song books.”  Eleanor has also served as the church secretary and clerk for over forty years. Eleanor concluded, “I think the first thing a person should do after they get saved is to look for a job in the church.” 

      Typically, when people are asked the reason, they attend a particular church they reply, “I like the teaching”, “I like the style of worship”, “I like the fellowship”, “The people there are friendly”, or “I feel comfortable there”.  In stark contrast, Vannen and Eleanor’s reasons remind me of the words of President John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” (Inaugural address, January 20, 1961). 

     Against the south wall of Eleanor and Vannen’s kitchen, sits the old wooden deacon’s chair that Vannen sat in during church services for over forty years.  Eleanor explained, “When we bought new furniture for the church, we brought this old chair home.”  The word, “deacon” comes from the Greek word “diakonos”, which means “servant”.  Vannen not only sat in the chair, but he also lived it. 

      “Whoever desires to become great among you let him be your servant…Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  (Jesus-Matthew 20:26-28)

      Loren Hardin was a social worker with SOMC-Hospice for twenty-nine years. He can be reached at 740.357.6091 or at lorenhardin53@gmail.com. You can order Loren's book, "Straight Paths: Insights for living from those who have finished the course",  at Amazon.