I am in Kansas to celebrate the life of my wife's grandfather. Donald "Jiggs" Wilson went home on February 28th. His legacy will last much longer than his 95 years of time on earth. When I first met grandpa Jiggs I was in college and dating his youngest grandchild. He used to all ask me if she was giving me "good lovin and squeezin", nothing makes a young guy more uncomfortable than his girlfriend's grandfather talking about making out, but that was grandpa Jiggs.
His legacy will last much longer than his 95 years. Jiggs was one of the most unique people I've ever met. It is an incredible privilege to be a part of his family and to have had so much time with him and Frances. It strikes me how Jiggs and Frances were able to make everyone feel important. I was not a part of the family until I was married to Kristi, I was grafted into an incredible family. It reminds me of what scripture says when it speaks of God grafting us into His family (Romans 11). Jiggs never treated me like an outsider or waited to see if I was going to make it long-term, he accepted me for who I was and treated me like a grandson.
When I was in college at MCC, I preached for 6 months at the Christian Church in Wilsey. When church was over Kristi and I would drive over to the farm and have Sunday dinner (lunch) with her Grandparents. They were great times- just the four of us. He would always give me a summary of how their preacher did that morning, who just happened to be my good friend Devin Wendt. Week after week Jiggs would go on and on about the fact that Devin did not give a proper invitation. I would on occasion mention that only 17 people were in church and that Devin could clearly see that they were all life-long Christians and an invitation wasn't necessary. His comeback was always, "They might want to re-dedicate their life" or "You never know who needs Jesus and who doesn't". When I filled the pulpit at Pleasant Ridge while Devin was gone, I spent a great deal of time crafting an incredible invitation, Billy Graham would have been proud! That afternoon over the roast, potatoes, and Jell-O, Jiggs told me I preached the best sermon they'd heard at Pleasant Ridge. You and I both know that 22 year old Bible College students don't preach good sermons, but those 3 weeks I filled in I rocked the invitation so that Grandpa Jiggs would approve.
The legacy of Jiggs will last much longer than his 95 years. His children all are following Jesus and impacting their communities and churches. His grandchildren are making an incredible impact as well. No one yet knows what his great-grandchildren will do, but they are building their lives on an incredible foundation of faith. They are carrying on a legacy which will end up literally bringing 10's of thousands of people to heaven to march in the parade with Grandpa Jiggs.
At the Celebration Service someone pointed out that Grandpa Jiggs attended a tiny church and never lived outside of Morris County, KS. Understand when I say a tiny church I mean tiny. We all think the size of our church or our education correlate to our potential impact. The impact we can have in life has nothing to do with our education, the size of our church, or even our own abilities. It has to do with Passion, Consistency, Character, and Encouragement. Those were the words used over and over again to describe Grandpa Jiggs.
If you and I will leave even half the legacy he did, then the Great Commission will be complete in this generation. The last 2 days we've been sharing all the stories of Grandpa and trust me they have been entertaining. Jiggs was an incredible man with an even bigger personality.
You always knew what he thought, and you always knew he wanted you to get better. Everyone who had the privilege to spend time with Jiggs had the opportunity to be a better person. I hope they took advantage. His legacy will last much longer than his 95 years. What will our legacy look like?
For those of you, who knew him, share a story or two here:
