I urgently needed some work done on my home in the keys due to it being under contract again and it being scheduled for an inspection today. I did not much think I would find anyone, but when I called my handyman on the day after Christmas and explained the situation, he readily agreed to get the work done for me by the deadline. In the interim, it started raining and he did the outside work in the rain to accommodate me.
My friend is a Mexican, he has a beautiful family and loves the Lord. He came to the United States illegally years ago but has subsequently obtained a green card. He is one of the hardest workers I’ve encountered, and he does excellent quality work. I had told a friend that I needed the work done and he just laughed and told me getting anything done in the keys the day after Christmas would be impossible. He said, “In the first place no one wants to work even on a non-holiday due to the fact they can make more money staying at home and collecting welfare. Secondly no one is going to work in the rain.”. Ordinarily, I would agree with him, but my handyman is not just a worker, but a good friend, and I have treated him with great respect and always have been fair with him. It did not go unnoticed.
I called an old buddy recently to stay in touch with him. I have been calling many friends that I don’t get a chance to see anymore for the same purpose. I did some free consulting with my buddy when he started a small company several years ago. When I inquired about how it was doing, he said it had really taken off and was doing very well. He said he remembered what I advised him so long ago, and it had worked extremely well. “What was that?” I asked. He said you told me to run it like Jesus would run it; offer the best service available, sell only the highest quality products, offer them at fair prices, and treat everyone like you would like to be treated. He told me that I then told him not to quit, even when things got extremely tough. It was the same formula for success that I taught my Mexican friend to use in his fledgling construction company.
It is very rewarding to me to see these guys flowering after I planted a seed. I feel that the majority of people all over the world, no matter what color of skin or culture they are, simply want the same thing as these gentlemen. They want to provide for their families and lead productive lives and they don’t forget the people who helped them along the way. I am no longer geographically located close enough to help these two friends or provide work for them, but they never forgot the kindness I afforded them and my taking the time to mentor them. I did not help them expecting anything in return. I was happy I could help them, and that God put them in my life and led me to them. I am pleasantly surprised from time to time when I run into someone I’ve helped. Often, I have completely forgotten some small thing I did for them, but they have remembered for years. I think when we enter heaven there will be many such people that I have helped and those who have helped me. It is the Christian way.
1 Thess. 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.