AtomThe Difference Maker
Some time ago in worship I shared an experience my daughter, Kelsey, and I had after a little fender-bender in the Central Market parking lot. I told how we had been surprised by the police officer who reported to the scene to “do her job.” We were not surprised by her efficiency or any of the questions asked as a part of record keeping. What surprised (and blessed) us was what happened after the “job” was done. We both noted that Kelsey had slipped quietly from the drivers’ seat to the passengers’ seat, signaling her reluctance to continue driving at this point. So after the officer handed me the paperwork, she made her way around the car to Kelsey, knocked gently on the window, leaned down and said, “Don’t worry too much…these things happen, even to older drivers… no one got hurt and you learned something important here…now, the best thing you can do is just keep driving.”
As I shared with you, she didn’t have to do this. It was an unexpected moment of grace that blessed not only my daughter, but also me.
I had a similar experience last week during our trip to Charleston , SC. Andy Marthaler invited me to officiate at his and Tonya Driggers’ wedding. It was an honor and a whole lot of fun. But the trip to Charleston last Thursday was anything but fun for Holly and me. I drank way more coffee at O’Hare Airport in Chicago than I ever intended to. It probably didn’t help my nerves! An early Midwestern snowstorm and a campaign visit by President Bush had put the whole airport behind two hours. Of course we missed our connection and every other connection the airlines tried to work out as one flight after another was delayed. Pretty soon we had been there six hours. We were not alone. People were cranky. Airport personnel were harried and exhausted by the extra work and the unhappy passengers. At one point we stood in line for forty-five minutes while one passenger tried to get the agent to see things his way. We were given the option of spending the night in Chicago , Cincinnati , Atlanta . (Great!) Until we came across a ticket agent who, after saying, “I’m sorry, you’ll have to go to customer service (80 people in line),” said, “Just a minute. Let me see if I can do that from here…yes, we can get you on standby for the last flight out…just go down to the A Concourse (20 minutes away) and check in…no, wait a minute, I’ll just put you on standby from here.” (Hallelujah, thank you Lord.)
We were the last two to get on that flight…because this tired agent, who had probably heard it all that day, took the extra time to get us booked. He didn’t have to…protocol would have sent us to someone else. But he offered us a moment of grace that changed our day and our weekend.
And as I thought about this (over another cup of coffee), I thought, “This is what being the light of Christ and a difference maker in the world looks like.” It is the kind of thing we have opportunity to do almost every day as we go about our tasks, the opportunity to surprised people with grace…and in so doing to reveal the light of Christ within. I believe this is something of what Luther was talking about in the well-known quote above. Following the lead and example of Jesus doesn’t have to be flashy or world changing. It most often happens in the careful and caring way we do our everyday jobs. It is in home and workplace that we are priests and ministers of Christ and while our actions may not change the whole world at that moment, they change the world for one, and then, who knows?
Serving with you,
Pastor Wade
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