Memoirs of a Christian Entrepreneur: How I met Jesus in Fort Worth Texas.
Sometimes opportunities arise when you least expect it!
Here’s yet another post in my series “Memoirs of a Christian Entrepreneur”. This was an awesome experience I had in Texas while attending a three day swimming pool construction course.
Many of you have heard this experience before, but it was one of my first posts so it got no love, plus I wanted to re-post it as part of this series anyway. I wrote the following story the night it happened. It will always remain an experience that’s near to my heart.
It was about 9:00 pm and I was walking down Houston Ave in downtown Fort Worth, Texas desperately seeking a hot meal. It had been a hectic day of travel that included a full blown sprint to catch a flight, lost luggage, “misplaced” hotel reservations, and no food. It was cold, I was tired, and my quest for an authentic Tex-Mex meal was looking bleak, so I compromised and settled for some Applebee’s wanna-be.
By this time I had reached caveman status so I grabbed a seat and ordered way too much food. While anxiously awaiting the arrival of my meal I tried to distract myself by reflecting on the purpose of my trip. I had traveled to Texas to attend a three-day course to be further trained in the arts of high-end residential swimming pool construction…...and I was pumped. An opportunity to learn, meet new people, and…never mind here comes my food.
My meal finally hit the table and I was ready to dig in when some dirty guy taps on the window, points to his wide open mouth and lips the word “homeless”. So I kind of look down at my food for a split second and think, ‘this is awkward’, but instantly look up again to gaze at the man.
But when I did it wasn’t the same person. In my eyes his appearance had completely transformed. You see, in that split second I looked down, I remembered something I had read in the Bible that changed the way I saw the world as well as everyone around me. It is one of Jesus’ teachings found in Matthew chapter 25.
He taught “what you have done to the least of these your brethren you have done unto me”. When I looked out of the window the second time the person I saw was Him…..literally. So, let’s pause to ask ourselves an honest question: If Jesus tapped on your window and asked you for help how would you respond? Probably exactly as I did. I got up, went outside and talked to Him. After we exchanged a few words I gave Him some money (I mean come on, it was Jesus, the least I could do was give Him ten bucks!). At that point his eyes welled up with tears and he said “I just want to give you a hug”. Then we embraced. So not only did I meet Jesus in Fort Worth, but He gave me a hug as well!
This was an experience I will always treasure. It has little to do with giving to the homeless and everything to do with the little opportunities we have on a daily basis to serve others. It’s been rare occasions like this, when I completely forget my own selfish desires and see Jesus’ face in those I serve, that I find anything close to real joy which is the kind of happiness that endures. All other types of pseudo-happiness eventually wither and leave us empty and alone. But this requires a change of focus, a paradigm shift. It’s extremely difficult. Only the best people in history have even come close to it, only One has ever done it perfectly. Serving others is not about the why, the where, or the how….it is about the Who.
How could this paradigm affect Your Business?
As Christians and especially as Christian business owners we constantly find ourselves presented with opportunities to bless others and bring glory to God. I have no idea how many of these opportunities I’ve squandered in the past, but I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had this one. It has helped shape the way I see others (when I have my head screwed on straight). “The least of these” can literally be anyone in our lives....and in our businesses.
What if we saw the face of Jesus every time we looked out at our customers, employees, and other associates? How would that change the way we do business? How would it change the way the world does business? It may seem absolutely ludicrous to have this mentality in today’s dog-eat-dog climate, but I can testify that when applied it will brings peace and joy to doing business and to life.
What experiences have you had serving others in your life or in your business?
