Because They Ask

     I was first asked to serve as an elder for the Northern Hills Church of Christ in western South Dakota around 2008. I was honored by the request, yet fearful of the responsibility, because it involved the challenge of dealing with people of all kinds in all sorts of tough situations. Needing guidance, I called the elder I knew best: my father.
     I grew up observing how important people were to Harold Hardison. He really did treat others as if they were made in the image of God. I learned from him what it meant to go the extra mile in order to help a person in need.  I cherish the childhood memory of dad handing all the money in his billfold to a hard luck school janitor, no questions asked.
     I witnessed his agony when he had to hold people accountable for not living the life God had planned for them. I also saw the support he received in difficult times from my mother, and, consequently, realized the importance of having a God-fearing wife beside me.
     The greatest influence from my father was his love of God’s Word.  It was his lodestar for living. I recall fondly a conversation I had with him when he was in his 80’s. He commented on how his love of reading God’s word had increased even at his elderly age.
     In South Dakota or Searcy, the biggest challenge in dealing with people is to help them see others and circumstances through the eyes of Jesus. Life is not all black and white, and God wants elders to be able to live in those gray areas as shepherds of the flock, calling on His wisdom to make decisions that will lead His sheep closer to Him. When you yield to His will in this role, the challenge becomes a blessing.
     At the end of that 2008 call to my father, after hearing him talk about being an elder, and recalling his steady example, I asked, “Why did you agree to serve?”  His response was simple: “Because they asked.”  He let me know that when my grandfather, and before him, my great-grandfather, were asked that same question, their answer had also been “because they asked.”
     So I agreed to serve then, and have done so now, appreciating the trust shown in me by College Church. I pray my service will honor the memory of my ancestors and give glory to the Father of all.