This week we said goodbye to the 40th president of the United States of America.

Ronald Reagan was an honorable man, a man of principle. He lived through some of the most amazing moments in modern history, both the greatest triumphs, and the most horrible tragedies. Through it all he remained a man of hope, hope in his fellow man, but mostly, hope in the God he served and whom he considered his Lord.

Was he perfect? No, no man is perfect. The Bible clearly tells us that no man is sinless, for "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

dignity, n. nobleness or elevation of mind, consisting in a high sense of propriety, truth and justice, with an abhorrence of mean and sinful actions

For me, what made President Reagan worthy of admiration was his ability to remain dignified in the face of mockery, adversity, and the personal attacks that inevitably come whenever someone is seen as a public figure. Regardless of whether you agreed with him, or not, we here in the United States of America could trust that what he said was what he believed was true and right. And, in the end, he stood firm in who he was, his love for his God, his wife, his family, his country.

We can learn much from this man. Most of us will never face true persecution... but most of us will face meanness. Though we are in this world, we are not of it. However, as ambassadors of the kingdom of God, we should live our lives with dignity, nobly and honorably representing the One we serve.