Hey what the heck, I’ll toss in my two copper coins on the whole mission idea that dang near most of the other links are pondering. I say this all the while a voice in the back of my mind is telling me that my Father’s will isn’t too hard to figure out. After all, most of the disciples were simple fishermen. That fact has always disturbed be because I am a fisherman and I have yet to catch as big of a fish as the one that I tell stories about. I’m not trying to tell you how to do it at all. I’m going to tell you about my friend Dave.
Dave came into my store at a time when I was most vulnerable. My previous employee had just cleaned out the cash register last night and today was the day that I was receiving a truck load of food. To say the least my current thoughts on employees wasn’t pure. Dave asked me if I needed some help and wanted to work for me. I was hesitant, after all he wasn’t dressed like a guy that wanted a job but I was desperate and so he started immediately. He easily outworked me and then some for the remainder of the day. I expected him not to show up the next day at all and to my surprise he was 20 minutes early. He rides the bus and it takes him about 1hour and 20 minutes to get here (a 15 minute drive for the rest of reading this). Again he worked his butt off and kept a tune to the radio while he worked. Think of it as Snow White wearing a 5 o’clock shadow, a bandana and some ‘80’s style sunglasses on his head – minus the 7 dwarfs of course.
Dave’s background was the complete opposite of mine. He lived in a two bit apartment that most of you would consider dangerous. I will not divulge his past but for those of you who are street smart: meet the professor. His history could have been an issue for me as an employee but his hard work was worth the risk of running the register and what not. As the time passed, Dave became an icon in my store. His personality and character traits are some of the best I have seen in any man I’ve met, all he needed was a chance and the customers knew this as well.
While time went on, I started sharing the stuff that I was pondering. I told him about what I believed and invited him to church; after all, it was the Christian thing to do. I guess you could say he was my mission but I didn’t know it because I was too busy enjoying him as a friend. I think I learned more from him during the time we worked together that any other time I spent serving at “Church on the Street” and Ronald McDonald house.
The only thing that I regret was not having him at my house or his more that I did before we moved to Prescott. He is still there at Harvest Foods working at my job and he is doing it much better. I didn’t realize how much he cared for me until I said goodbye. After working at the store for over 4 years I was sick of the place and couldn’t wait to get out of town. I shook his hand and wished him good luck and that I would be keeping in contact with him. He was speechless and crying and all he could utter was “you gave me a chance”. I was taken back and I didn’t know what to say. The one thing that I wished I could have told him was that I learned more about life and the love for people through him than I ever have before.
So what is the point? Get over the word mission and just keep your eyes open to whom our Father puts us in contact with. I’m willing to bet that you will learn more yourself that the person or people you are trying so desperately to love. It doesn’t need a plan just a removal of barriers – yours.
posted by Tera @ 3:51 PM
Comments: 3
