Transcript
I had a heart-wrenching conversation about three weeks after the Twin Towers had fallen down due to terrorism with the manager of the Top of the World Restaurant at the top of one of the towers and he said to me, "I can't get over the grief of the fact that I never saw the 250 people who worked for me as people. They were waiters, they were chefs, they were busboys, they were hosts, they were planners, but they weren't people to me.
Funeral After Funeral
And he said, "Over the last three weeks, I've gone to funeral after funeral. I've sat with moms, I've sat with husbands, I've sat with wives, I've sat with children, and I've heard the stories. These people are now all people to me, but they're gone."
I think that is typical of many of us. As he was telling me his story, weeping as he told it, I had guilt inside of me because I do the same thing. It's the checkout clerk, it's the guy at the parking lot, it's the guy at the hardware store, it's the guy at the cleaners; but they're just functions, not people.
There [are] two things I think are very important to beginning to function as the light of the world. Pray that God would give you the eyes to see people as people, to look into the eyes of people and think this is a person with a story, with a heart, with a desire to be loved, with fears and concerns and hopes and dreams.
This is a real life and blood living human being. This is the kind of person for whom Jesus died. I need God to open my eyes. I need to see people as people. And then, engage people as people. Ask them questions. "How are you doing today? How are you feeling? How's your week been?" You may then say, "How can I pray for you?"
A Prayer at a Restaurant
I was a restaurant with a group of people. The waiter came up. The man sitting next to me said... I didn't know he was going to say this. He said, "You know, we're a group of people, we usually pray before we eat our meal. How can I pray for you?"
The waiter was sort of embarrassed and he stumbled and said, "I don't think I really need any prayer," and he walked away. Came back about five minutes later and said, "You know, I think I could actually use your prayer. I just found out my girlfriend is pregnant and I'm terrified of being a father. I have no idea how to be a father. Would you pray for me?" What an amazing moment, only because one person asked one question.
Pray that God would help you to see people as people. And then when you're waiting in line, when you come to the counter, treat that person like a person, particularly in places where you go back again and again, and watch the relationship that develops as a result and the opportunities that God gives you as a result.
