Core scripture: “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” (Matthew 25:40)

Are your eyes open?  Do you see the world through His perspective?  Every now and again you will feel that nudge to get out of your comfort zone and reach out to show someone who Jesus is.  When those moments arise, do you allow the Holy Spirit to take over?  Or do you selfishly cling to your own agenda?

Saturday became that moment for me.

It was my first break at Amazon.  3:30 am to be exact.  I had forgotten my phone in my car and ran outside to grab it quickly so I could listen to music as I worked.  My friend Jay called me over as he sat outside the building on a bench.

“Hey, Clint!  Can I get a ride from you after work today?”

I was taken aback by his request.  My mind was on which playlist to pick, and suddenly this golden opportunity was given to me on a silver platter.  I had promised Jay weeks earlier that I wanted to take him out to lunch.  What if this was that opportunity?  What if I could help a brother out AND give him some lunch?

Problem … I was getting off early around 10:30 am to pick up my dogs from kenneling.  I wanted to allow plenty of time to get there before noon when they closed.  My wife and kids were coming home from a quick trip to St. Louis that afternoon.  Coming clean about my dilemma, Jay proceeded to tell me how desperate he was.

Driving to work early that morning, he was pulled over by a cop.  Long story short, there was an issue with his tags or license or something that led the cop to tell Jay he had to abandon his car on the side of I-35.  Jay was forced to climb over a barbed wire fence and call our buddy Warren to pick him up and get him to work.  He showed me the gash on his thigh to prove it. 

“I got you, bro,” I told him.  “Meet me in the break room at 10:30. I still owe you that lunch, remember?  We can do something quick and close, then go get your car.”

It felt good and right.  The better path to take.  I had wanted to pull Jay aside for a lunch for weeks, and now I was given that opportunity.  And I still had plenty of time to pick up the dogs by noon. 

Fast forward to 5:30 am, our “lunch break.”  Kinda weird to call lunch at 5:30 am before the rest of the world is even awake.  You get used to it. 

“Hey, Clint!” my buddy Logan called me over.  “Jay says you guys are leaving early around 10:30. Can I get a ride with you, too?”

“Well, sure,” I stammered.  “Just be sure to meet me at 10:30 am sharp right here in the break room.  I owe him a lunch, and I suppose I could get you something, too.  Jay gets to pick where we go out to eat.”

We decided on Taco Bell.  Aint nothing better to fill your stomach than a few chalupas and a taco.  It was glorious.  We ordered.  We feasted.  We grew closer through exposing some hidden areas of our lives and just being real with each other. 

It all started with a prayer.

I brought the food over and was the last to sit down after snagging some napkins. 

“Would you guys mind if I blessed the food?” I asked.

Who would say no?  Logan, already two bites into his taco, thew it down on his tray, apologizing.  Jay did the same with his burrito.  But then something amazing happened.  As I thanked God for the food and the friendships being baked right there at the table, Jay reached his hand across the table and lay it on my shoulder.  His other hand rested on Logan.

“Amen!”

The prayer was a gamechanger.  I had prayed before with Logan, but this was brand new for Jay, and he eagerly embraced the opportunity.  Jay admitted his innate desire to be rededicated through baptism.  He exposed a Cliff’s Notes version of his checkered past and became vulnerable. 

I craved more time to strip off those layers, peeling him like an onion with probing questions, digging deeper into his soul.  As I devoured my chalupas, I looked into Jay’s eyes.  What I saw was a young man in his mid-20’s who realized he wanted something more from life. 

What if I could guide him on that journey?

“Jay, I hate to cut you off, but it’s 11:20 now.  How close is your car?  Remember, I have to pick up my dogs by noon.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot!” he said, stopping his story.  “It’s probably about 10 minutes … Right, Logan?”

“Umm … Yeah!  Probably ten minutes or so.”

We dumped our trash and got back in my car. 

“So, where am I headed?” I asked casually.  “You guys can navigate me.”

11:25 am now.  The clock was ticking.  I certainly knew I-35 well, but have you ever been in an unfamiliar neighborhood and getting to that highway is as foreign to you as an entire different country?  That was me. 

“I think Renner gets us there,” Logan piped up.

“Yeah, Renner!” Jay chimed in.

“Soooooo, where is Renner?” I asked.  “Left?  Right?  Straight?”

“I … um … think it is right,” Logan said.

“You think?”  I laughed.  “I need to know, Logan.”

Panic began to set in as I glanced at the time.  11:30 am now.  We found Renner.  Now to find 95^th Street.  And then the highway. 

“Am I taking 35 North or South?”

“It was by that tire place,” Jay remembered. 

“Yeah, the tire place!” Logan repeated.

“What tire place?” I inquired, somewhat annoyed. 

“Go right,” Logan declared knowingly.  “I got this.”

“But do you?” I laughed.  “Clock is ticking, boys.  This better be right, Logan.”

Cars were whipping by me on the highway by that point.  We were searching blindly for a car that we did not see at all.  No tire place either.  11:35 am. 

“Bro, I think that tire place is back the other way,” Jay said. 

“BRO!” I bellowed.

“Yep, my bad, we gotta turn around and go the other way,” Logan declared.

Problem.  Doing that on a highway with a cement divider is NOT that easy.  You have to exit, navigate the stoplights and summer construction barrels, and pray that the impatient drivers will allow you back on the highway during the lunch rush hour.

This was getting to be fun!

We looped back.  I waved to the guy who slammed on his breaks, allowing me back on the highway.  Something my dad taught me growing up.  Always wave to the driver who lets you change lanes.  My speedometer rose.  I whipped around a few other cars, not bothering to wave this time.  All I needed was a cop to pull me over for doing 85 in a … 65?  I had no clue what the speed limit even was at that point!

“There’s the tire place!” Jay said.

“Yeah!  Shore Tire!” Logan added.

Thanks, Captain Obvious!  I can read, too.  But now we have to loop around the median.  Again!  Panic set in.  I glanced at a few text messages at the stop light.  Both my son AND my wife had asked for pictures of the dogs.  They wanted proof that I had followed through!  It was now 11:40 am. 

“My wife is going to kill me if I don’t get the dogs in time,” I declared.  “I might call the kennel to let them know I am going to be cutting it close.”

No time for that now.  Green light.  I whipped back onto the highway, passing Shore Tire.  Nothing. 

“Dude, where is your car?” I asked.

I had just made a reference to a pretty awful Austin Kutcher movie from my generation.  These guys had more than likely never seen it.  As a matter of fact, don’t see it.  Don’t even look it up.  I digress …

“It was just up here … I think,” Jay said.

Nothing.  We approached a small hill.  Cars sped past us like they were in the Daytona 500.  I was doing 45.  Time was of the utmost importance now.  11:45 am.

“There it is!”

Logan and Jay both shouted at the same time.  I put my hazards on, parked behind his car, and let them get their stuff from the back seat.

“Hey, there’s the fence I climbed over!” Jay laughed. 

Bro wasn’t kidding.  The chain link fence, caked with barbed wire at the top and covered with overgrown weeds, looked hideous.  It laughed at Jay, beckoning him to attempt a prison escape vault over the top again, but my friend was already opening his car door to take it home.  And I was already doing 90 down the highway. 

“Hello, Black Bob Pet Hospital, how may I help you?” said a pleasant voice on the other end of the phone.

“Uh … yeah … My name is Clint, and I am coming to pick up my dogs.  I know you guys are open until noon, but it is going to be a tight fit.  I promise I will be there!”

“We are actually open until 1:00 pm,” she informed me. 

“OH!” I breathed.  “Got it.  Alright, will I will be there soon to pick up Waldo and Bloop.”

Yes, I have a dog named Bloop.  He is a feisty 9-pound chihuahua who loves me but hates the rest of the world.  Waldo is our terrier mix tripod.  Both are rescues.  I decided I was going to do myself one better.  I wasn’t just going to take a picture.  I was going to video the excitement of the return home!  See it for yourself below.

I got a thumbs up reply from my wife upon sending her the video.  My son called soon after saying they were still a few hours out, stopping for lunch in Columbia.  Just enough time to crash into bed and savor the sweet sleep that had eluded me to that point.

I share this story not to pat myself on the back but to challenge and encourage you to see the world from God’s eyes.  He gets the credit and all the glory.  Honestly, without His prompting it never would have happened. 

Open your eyes this week.  See the world through the eyes of Jesus.  I can promise you this much: you will be fulfilled beyond measure. 

Bible study: Read Matthew 25:31-46 and journal about or discuss the following questions.

1. What is being symbolized through the sheep and goats?  Which side do you see yourself going?
2. The King says that when you helped the least of these, you helped Him (Matthew 25:40).  What does this scripture mean to you?  What is Jesus saying?
3. Where do the sheep and the goats go in the end? 
4. How do we apply this to our own lives?
5. What is God calling you to do today?  How could prayer help us see the world from God’s eyes?

Song application: “Give Me Your Eyes” by Brandon Heath

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what’s underneath

There’s a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of work, he’s buyin’ time

All those people goin’ somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see

Just for fun: I remember being able to whip myself over a chain link fence in no time as a kid.  You would poke your shoes through the holes to climb it, put your right foot on top, and vault over, landing with a hop.

I turn 49-years-old tomorrow.  One year away from the big 50.  Something tells me that if I were in Jay’s shoes I would have been walking the extra 500 yards to the nearest exit as opposed to catapulting myself over barbed wire. 

Bruh! 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for those moments when you open my eyes to see the world from Your view.  It is from that perspective that others can see Jesus through the way