Demonstrating Devoutness Through Death
“Even when things seemed uncertain, we kept moving forward. I guess you’ll never find out if a door is actually closed until you try to open it.” – Stan Steward
I recently read an awesome book called Dying Out Loud. It’s a story about Stan and Ann Steward, along with their children, bringing the Gospel of Christ to the people of Eurasia, in an area that is 99% Muslim.
The Stewards are devout Christians who left the comforts of southern California to become missionaries in a foreign and dangerous land. They wanted to lead a meaningful life by carrying a message of hope and freedom to people who have never heard of Jesus.
But there was something neither Stan nor Ann expected. They both would be required to sacrifice in a way they never considered.
- Stan would suddenly be diagnosed with stage-four-cancer, and would die.
- Ann would have to face a future without Stan.
This was the way Stan and Ann would demonstrate their devoutness to God.
As a differentiating value, Devoutness means earnestness; deeply religious; piety. Here’s how the Stewards portrayed this value:
- Earnestness. They showed a sincere and intense conviction by becoming part of the local community where they lived in Eurasia. In response to their openness and love, the local people embraced and loved them back.
- Deeply religious. They lived their faith daily amongst an all-Muslim community. They prayed openly (in Turkish and English) with many people, asking God to help them with their circumstances (and He responded!). Stan was even invited to join the Muslim’s in a local Mosque so he could pray to his savior, Jesus.
- Pious. Their devotion to God was proven in the harshest manner, showing reverence and devotion to God, as everyone knew Stan was dying. This proved to have an important effect on opening the peoples’ hearts.
As Stan states in the book: “You might be the only ‘Jesus’ those around you will ever see.”
So, in a place where the people fear death, Stan and Ann showed them how a Christian can die with joy and peace, and even maintain a hope for the future. And when you consider that the Steward family were the only Christians most of these people had ever met, the impact of their devoutness was lasting.
You can read more about Dying to Lead a Meaningful Life at Leadership Couples.
Do you know a devout individual or married couple? How have they portrayed this value?
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For those interested in getting a better sense of this leadership couple, there are various videos related to the book that can be found here.
Learn more about the author, Shawn Smucker, and another of his books reviewed here: How to use a runaway truck ramp.
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Today’s value was selected from the “Devoutness-Purity” category, based on the e-book Developing Your Differentiating Values.