I was listening to a podcast this morning from Passion City Church in Atlanta, GA. It was delivered by their Senior Pastor, Louie Giglio and I am giving him credit for the general idea and also a warning; if reading about the Christian faith is abhorrent to you, I really wish you would keep going, but…
My thinking went back over my almost 57 years and all of the people God has placed in my path. I can remember elementary school friends who I have kept some contact with and teachers from the same period. “It was The War Between The States”, because there was nothing civil about it. That came from my fifth grade teacher and has stuck in my consciousness all these years. I imagine most of us have similar poignant memories that may be much more consequential. The thing that stands out more for me as a person of faith are the people who God knew I would need to be in my life long before I knew.
Most of these people were friends with special skills, but more importantly, very big hearts. I became ill 11 years ago at the age of 45 and was past my working days by the age of 50. My family would go through some very different financial twists and turns and those were painful and eye-opening. The most painful was being a fifty year old man who could not adequately provide for his family and had to be cared for instead of caring for others. When you read stories about the chronically unemployed and the psychological impact that it has on men and women throughout the US and the world, it is more real than you could ever imagine. We were never poor, homeless, unfed, or unsupported, just not used to receiving assistance or telling a child there was something that they could not have and I fully understand the difference between that and truly poor.
God had placed certain people in my path who were able to do things I could not, even if healthy. I had an amazing friend who builds houses that did so much to just help keep mine livable. I had a neighbor who wanted to teach his son the value of doing for others even when pay was minimal or none at all. A friend who had many contacts within the building industry who sent me people who worked for way below market fees because they knew my friend, not me. My parents were both able physically to be of tremendous help and became my legs, arms, chauffeurs, cooks, and many other things you don’t ever imagine not being able to do. I believe God kept them healthy, in part, because he knew how much I would need them. My Dad has been gone for about 15 months now and I know from my Mom that he spent hours on his knees, in tears, asking God to make me well and even when he started to lose some cognitive ability, would do anything I asked even when he was not really able. I had a pastor who would come up with funds to cover things that were just costs of living and those giving never knew exactly where it was going. He also made sure that I had a visitor from time to time who didn’t come to console, but to try to learn things I was learning from reading and watching the financial markets because that was my last career. He made me feel I was imparting something he could use or just wanted to know.
I could go on, but I think I have made my point, probably nauseatingly. I can tell you what I have learned over the past decade plus. Everyone you meet is important to the God I believe in and should be to you. Not for what they can do for you, but because their life has no less value in the eyes of God than you. Never be too proud, or stubborn, to accept help from others; it will likely mean more to them than you. You can trust God to supply your needs; maybe not your wants or the way you would do it, but trust is an amazing value between Him, us and others. Share what you have with others, even if that is only a smile, encouraging word and God’s love. I learned that many of my assumptions about the less fortunate were born of arrogance, hate, ignorance, appearance, etc… I was wrong about every single one!
Finally, I would be remiss to mention the incredible lady who is my wife. I have to stop there because I can’t read through tears and the space taken up would make this a novel.