The Most Important Person
My Bishop likes to say “ the person in front of you is the most important person Jesus wants to talk to you today.” I find when I take this seriously it changes my whole day. It erases all other means valuation. It doesn’t matter if I know them as a member of the family or a friend. They could be a person checking me out at the store. It could be someone in line behind me. It could be a street hitting me up for a donation. Regardless of who it is, it makes me pay attention and listen carefully.
It often turns into a spiritual conversation. Many people are eager to share with me things that are almost miraculous that have happened in their life. For example, one day I was waiting for my car to get an oil change as I sat outside, smoking my pipe. a man about my age, sat down next to me and started a conversation. He is an independent contractor who fixes dents in cars. He goes from car dealer to car dealer pulling out dents. He was excited to tell me about a time when he had an emergency on a Sunday for a dealer who needed to have a car ready Monday morning. Someone had backed into the car over the weekend and put a dent in the corner rear bumper. It was an extremely difficult place. He wasn’t sure he could fix it. The Lord gave him an idea of how to do it. Although he was skeptical, it worked. This happened many years ago and he still excited about it.
I might everybody else. Often when I’m in a conversation it is easy for me to slip into. Thinking about what I’m gonna say next instead of really listening. When when I can keep this idea in mind it helps me do the right thing and really listen. As you may know, there is often an underlying meaning or concern not below the surface of most conversations. When you really listen, you can “hear” what is really being conveyed. Then you can ask and open the question that shows you were really listening. For example, “ What I hear you saying is _________.” Then more meaningful conversation can continue.
As the conversation drives to a close, at the very least, you can offer a prayer. You might be able to invite the person to church. My Bishop always carries a copy of the for spiritual laws to hand out if appropriate. I carry business cards for my website and when appropriate suggest the person might enjoy reading some of my inspirational post like this one or listen to some of my original Christian music. Most everyone takes the card and card and says thank you.
This practice of considering the other to be the most important person is of course, very important when it comes to family. Hopefully, members of our family are indeed, already the most important persons in our lives.
So, try it today and see how the Jesus in you can help reach out with love to the people in your life.
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