Today on my way out of morning service, I
watched my pastor Jerry Dillon speaking to two young boys, probably around
11-12. They shook his hand, answered his
questions, and looked at him expectantly.
And then he did what they were expecting…he winked and said, “I’ll go
unlock my office in just a minute. Lots
of good stuff waiting in there.” The
expression on their faces changed. One
young man jumped in the air, while the other executed a pitch-perfect fist-pump
and said, “YES!”
It’s just peppermints and jelly
beans – not something that boys would normally get that excited about. I should know. I’ve been the recipient of a peppermint every
time I have seen Bro. Dillon during the past 35 years. Camp meeting, conferences, Sunday evening
services, random encounters at a restaurant, at a friend’s wedding…it doesn’t
matter. Whenever he gives me a hug and
reaches out to shake my hand, it isn’t really a handshake; it’s a sacred rite:
the passage of the peppermint. Understand, though, that it is about MUCH more
than peppermints.
There is a lesson I learned from the
age of 2 – a lesson that those boys are learning as well – about love,
consistency, and the heart in tune with that of Christ. When I was a toddler, I KNEW there was a
peppermint waiting in his office. When I
was a teenager, I KNEW that answers to my (MANY) questions were waiting in that
office, along with my peppermint. When I
was a twenty-one year old woman grieving the loss of her father, I KNEW that
compassion was waiting, keeping my peppermint company. When I was at the end of my rope and had no
idea what move should come next, I KNEW that wisdom was waiting, and a
peppermint too.
Those little boys are learning. So are my children. Bishop Jerry Dillon uses those peppermints as
beacons, and they send out a message to every person he has ever encountered: You will never get beyond God’s love…or mine
and Sis. Dillon’s. You will never be
without a home…you are welcome here, no matter what. My door is ALWAYS open, and wisdom is
waiting, along with a peppermint. YOU matter to me. YOU are important. YOU are worth my time.
I love you, Bro. and Sis. Dillon, and I
owe you more than I can every repay.
