The Wisest Person I've Known

The wisest person I've known was sent to me by Jesus to be my husband for over 50 years. He was a man of integrity, a man of vision, generous, steadfast, and a man who loved me unconditionally. However, the character attribute that everyone benefited from was his wisdom. Born John Jerome Jenkins in 1942, he became John Jerome Kimes at 9 when he was adopted by his mom's husband Gene. He became a follower of Jesus at the age of 12 at a Southern Baptist tent revival. The Holy Spirit gave Jerry/John all that he would need to live out his life as God intended. And John was a faithful administrator of those gifts.

God gave him wisdom for our early years together. When we met, I was an emotionally broken teenager of 17. At 22, John was a college senior with purpose and future life goals. He had worked his way through college and had a job lined up post graduation. When our relationship became serious, my mom told John just how emotionally fragile I was, so that he would have an opportunity to break up with me. He chose to love me just as I was. God gave him the wisdom to help me in my brokenness.

When we were first married he taught me the basics of how to live together, things I had not yet learned. He showed me respect and courtesy; I emulated what I saw. John was the income earner. Although John asked me to get a job to help out, I said I could not because I was pregnant and very anemic. In truth, fear prevented me from looking for a job. So he did a very difficult thing by going to his boss to ask for a raise because his income was not enough for a growing family to live on. He was given a raise. He always found alternative solutions for every problem that came our way, even if it was hard on him. God always showed him a way even when he didn't see a way to proceed.

I was not a Jesus follower for the first fifteen years of our marriage. For those years, I acted out of my brokenness, repeating old harmful behaviors. Even though I made terrible decisions, I can remember learning from John's words of wisdom or his wise actions in contrast to my selfish, foolish actions. God gave him the wisdom to endure through trials of life.

It was July 1979 when I became a Jesus follower. I never again acted out in the same broken ways in our marriage. The Lord healed my emotions over a long period of time, but there was a three-year period of intense, deep, painful situations that had to be healed in order for me to serve Jesus as He intended. At the end of the three years, I was emotionally raw, but not broken. John met this new challenge in our relationship with great care; he gave me space to heal, all the while supporting me. And when the three years came to an end, it was John's firm direction that helped me understand it was time to move forward.

In the 1980s, John's work life was changing. Over the years, he applied and interviewed for two executive positions. One at Coca Cola and the other was a small company in McAllen, Texas. The president of Coca Cola knew the president of Norris Ind. (the company John worked for), and called him to say he wanted to offer John a job, but did Norris have plans for him? They did, so John did not get offered the job. He remained with Norris, not knowing what they had in mind for him in the future. During this same time, John and his superior had a rough working relationship, but John persevered through a very stressful time. He was given 4 promotions in a year, and then it became known why they wanted him. They were taking the company public, and no one knew how to do it but John. He told me he just knew how, and gave God all the credit. It was a very quick change; he and Dick Owens met with many bankers, prepared all the needed financials, and traveled to each division with bankers in tow.

Because of his position, John had the opportunity to borrow money to buy stock in the soon-to-be public company, NI Ind. John told me it was a big risk if he failed to get the job done, but that there would be great rewards if he was successful. We became investors, and he did not fail.

A huge milestone for John that I was not aware of was becoming a reality. As a kid he dreamed of becoming a millionaire before he was 50. He told me this on the day he handed me a check for over a million dollars, free of debt. He had no idea how God would use the wealth placed into his hands, but thousands benefited one way or another. Here is a silly side story: John gave me the check to deposit the next day. I took the check to the bank, but I decided to go to the drive-through. The teller was shocked; she went to get the manager, and finally after some "to do" the manager made the deposit. I told John I went to the drive-through to make the deposit. He laughed so hard, so did the guys he told at work.

What is important to know is that John gave great thought to managing this newfound wealth. After making investments for our future, he had his folks pick out a condo to retire to. They did, and it was his mom's dream come true: a home in Huntington Beach. Then my mom and dad selected their retirement home in Cathedral City. Receiving such amazing gifts was life-changing for both sets of our parents. John always thoughtfully put people first.

I have hundreds of other stories about how he met each life challenge — good or bad — with wisdom and integrity. I would not have had the ministry opportunities without his guiding wisdom. Even when the Lord made it clear to him that he would be paying for most of the expenses of each of the Chosen Women Stadium events, he did not balk but was obedient. And the Lord saw to it that there was always enough, and more.

The boys and our friends benefited from his counsel as well. And, although he is gone, I am living life today as a beneficiary of his wisdom, generosity, thoughtful planning, and a lifetime of memories of a man who loved me well. Thank you, Jesus.