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?
Memoirs of a Christian Entrepreneur: The Thunderstorm Miracle
Several years ago I had an amazing experience on a jobsite that was nothing short of a miracle. I was working with two other guys on an inground pool project during the ‘dog days’ of summer. It was mid afternoon and we were working to complete a portion of the job that would be absolutely destroyed if it rained. But there was no rain in the forecast and we were making good progress....no worries right? At least until we heard a clap of thunder in the distance.
If you know anything about concrete work you know perfectly well what that sound does to your blood pressure in situations like this. I immediately stopped what I was doing and looked up to discover the other two guys glaring at me with that ‘deer in the headlights' look. Within 5 minutes the storm was right on top of us, the thunder was so loud it was rattling the windows, and the rain was starting to fall.
Now let me tell you a little bit about the two guys I was working with. One was a great friend whom I attend church with. We relished the idea of working together because, if you work construction at all, you know that many of the guys in that field aren’t exactly uplifting to work around. The other guy pretty much fell into that category. He was a great dude, but not exactly on the straight and narrow (I ain’t judging, I’m just sayin’).
So the rain is really starting to come down and I started barking orders to get everything covered up. We all scrambled to preserve what had taken us three days to accomplish when the bottom just fell out. It was a torrential downpour. At that point I don’t know what went through my mind but I just looked at the guys and said “Stop! We’re going to pray.”
So here we are, three guys standing in a downpour with lightning touching down all around us while our work is on the verge of utter ruin and we decide we’re going to pray. Probably not the first thing that comes to mind....huh? That's what the one guy was thinking because he looked at me and said “What! You’ve got to be freaking crazy!” We rather enthusiastically encourage him to stand in and he reluctantly walked over shaking his head in disgust, but he did join us.
By the time we finished the prayer the rain had stopped and within 30 seconds the clouds had parted and the sun was shining. The job was fine. I kid you not!
What do you think was going though the guys mind?
I can tell you exactly what was going through his mind because he shared it with us.
He said that it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen in his life. That it was an absolute miracle and any doubts he had about the reality of God were resolved because he had seen His work first hand. Talk about a wake-up call!
Why am I writing this?
The short answer is to bring glory to God. The long answer is because I believe that Christian Business Owners have a unique opportunity to bless the lives of others and to accomplish God’s work. I consider this experience sacred because, along with many other experiences, it has helped sure the foundation of my faith. But it is only one small example of the miracles that can occur and the impact that we can have on people’s lives if we are willing to exercise our faith within the parameters of our businesses. I’m not talking about preaching it; I’m talking about living it. No, we’re not perfect and yes, we all screw up. But that’s not the point. The point is that every day we have chances to exercise our faith. Whether it’s during a rainstorm on a jobsite, on a difficult phone call with a client, or in making key strategic decisions for the future of our business, God wants to be involved. He will work miracles that will bless our lives as well as those around us.
What awesome experiences have you had in your life or in your business?
