Torch, Fall 2002

O ne sticky New Orleans afternoon, my mom and I were in town for a speaking seminar. I flagged down a beat-up Astro van that had been converted into a taxi. The Hispanic driver helped us with our luggage, and we were on our way. Mom sat stiffly on the edge of the tattered bench seat as I started a conversation with the driver, who seemed to be quite distracted by something. After a few questions to break the ice, the man was sharing with us all of his problems. He told us about how his small family was struggling financially due to his slow business and his wife’s enrollment in pharmacy school. In no time, we pulled up to our hotel. Mom and I quickly gathered our bags and figured out the man’s tip. We both felt horrible for this man’s circumstances, but there was little we could do other than pray for him. By the time I hauled our oversized bags into the lobby, I realized that my mother was still outside with the driver. “That’s odd,” I thought. “She can’t stand taxi drivers.” I ventured back outside to see my mother handing the man her only copy of The 911 Handbook by Kent Crockett. This Christian book was designed to help readers deal with all types of disappointments. One of its chapters was titled, “When You Need God to Provide.” I was a little shocked to see my mom, who will barely get into a cab, handing a cab driver one of her favorite possessions. She took a business card from the man and started towards the lobby door. I followed closely behind, thinking about what she had done. A week later when our seminar was done, my mom called the same man to take us back to the airport. He seemed to be greatly encouraged, and when he said goodbye to us at the airport, he added, “God bless you.” Mom taught me that day that we cannot let our weaknesses keep us from our God-ordained opportunities. She had not only given him an encouraging book that contained the gospel message, but she had also called him to drive us to the airport to help him out with his slow business. She saw an opportunity and she used it. Opportunity Glasses Each person we encounter in our lives represents an opportunity for us to share God’s love, whether it be a person sitting next to us on a plane, a sales clerk at a department store, or a homeless person begging for money. People equal opportunities. Some of our greatest opportunities come from relationships that we have maintained for years, but in this article we will look at the opportunities we have with strangers. First, we must change our perspective. That waitress or tollbooth operator isn’t just another person there to serve you. She or he is a short window of opportunity for you to shine the love of Christ upon them. Mother Teresa said, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.” In our busy lives we often rush from one job to another without regard to those around us. We see things, money, and jobs, but rarely do we see people. We must ask God to give us “opportunity glasses” to see the people around us that we can touch. How to Use Your Opportunities 1. Look for Opportunities Once we have adopted a new way of seeing the world through opportunity glasses, we must learn how to use the opportunities that we are now seeing. First we must look for opportunities. Opportunities to Fall 2002 / TORCH 5 My mother has an innate fear of taxi drivers. Every time we have to hail a cab, she tenses up, and the anxiety spreads across her face. She is always worried that they’ll drive us into an alley full of thugs, steal our money, or wreck the cab (the latter option being the most realistic). .