Torch, Fall 2002

to give to me. It was the man’s way of thanking Dad for his advice and attention. As we walked away from the theme park, Dad and I looked at each other with a look of “Did that really happen?” We were amazed that the man valued a listening ear so greatly. That day I came away from the mall with a few life lessons and one gold necklace. My hope is the man left knowing that there were at least two people who cared about him. 3. Learn How to Help As we begin to listen to the needs of people around us and share God with them, we must also demonstrate kindness as often as we can. Florence Littauer shares in her book, It Takes So Little to be Above Average , “Average people often say, ‘If there is anything I can do, let me know.’ Above average people do something specific. Use your creativity to custom-make your kindnesses to fit the needs of people.” 2 When I was 15, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Jamaica with my youth group. Most of our trip was spent ministering at orphanages and doing construction, but my favorite part of the trip was the night we participated in street evangelism. As we arrived at the dark corner of a little mountain village, there were Jamaican men hanging around with huge knives slung around their shoulders. As we began unloading from the van, we saw prostitutes and people doing drugs all around the block. We passed out tracts and Bibles for a while until we had nothing left. Then a local pastor began speaking at the edge of the corner as a crowd slowly gathered. I immediately was drawn to the many children playing about the street. They had not seen many Americans and were very curious about how we spoke and even the Asking relevant questions and listening to the answers will allow the strangers around you to share their hearts. John Maxwell shares in his book, Becoming a Person of Influence , “If you show people how much you care and ask questions in a non-threatening way, you’ll be amazed by how much they’ll tell you.” 1 My father taught me this lesson during a family vacation when I was 13. My family flew to Minnesota for a week-long vacation that would include visiting the largest mall in the United States, the Mall of America. The mall is so large that it takes several days to cover all of the stores and sights. On the third day, Dad and I decided to explore the small theme park that is in the middle of the mall (Yes, it is that big!). I left Dad on a bench while I stood in line for the roller coaster. A few moments after I left, a tall, unshaven man sat down next to my father. My dad said hello and started chatting with the man. My father is a very good listener, and the man started sharing with my dad all of his frustrations. The man had just been fired and was angry with his former employer. Though my father wasn’t expecting this encounter with the man, he did recognize it as an opportunity. He shared his faith with the man and reassured him that he would be praying for him. About that time, I finished my ride and began walking toward the bench where my father was sitting. As I approached my father, I noticed the very expressive man intently talking to him. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but as I walked up I gave the man a big smile and my dad a searching look. I could tell that the conversation they were having was an important one, so I quickly dismissed myself to another ride. The frustrated man left soon after I did, but not before pulling a gold locket out of his coat for Dad care about people and spread the love of God will appear when we look for them. One activity that I loved as a child was looking at hidden pictures with my parents. In the children’s magazine Highlights , there is always a picture that has many items hidden within it. If you look at the page straight on, you may find one or two items, but most of the time you have to look at the next page, which shows you what the hidden items look like. Once you have an image in your mind, it is much easier to locate these items in the picture. So it is with people. Unless we see people as the precious opportunities they are, we are likely to miss out on our chances to serve God. Imagine that God has a giant control panel that coordinates all of the work that He wants done on earth. We, as His children, are His agents of light commissioned with the job of sharing His love with others. Although we do not receive assignments the same way a secret agent on earth would, the Lord does direct our steps if we are walking in obedience to God’s Word (Proverbs 3:5-6). As we go about our lives, imagine the angels with headsets telling God, “Someone needs your love, and we have someone in the area.” You or I could be in a grocery store when we find someone who needs God. We could be in a theater starting a conversation with the person sitting next to us. We will miss many assignments if we fail to look for them. 2. Listen to People It is so hard to find a good listener. Do you ever feel like the person you are talking to isn’t genuinely interested in what you are saying, but that they are just waiting until their turn to talk? Being a sincere listener will immediately set you apart from the majority of people. 6 TORCH / Fall 2002 Using Our Opportunities