Transparent Christian Magazine

At one point a few years ago, my career took a weird turn. I became an independent contractor and did some phone-work at home, making cold calls for a business consulting company.

Cold calling is something that most salespeople secretly dread, and most prospective clients dread receiving. I had to get into a specific mindset before dialing, and tried to hammer out as many calls in a row as I could. In the middle of one of my call sessions, my father-in-law ‘Carter’ said “hey, I need some help with a project, will you come with me? I’m picking up some firewood at my friend Ken’s house and could use an extra set of hands.”

Anyone that works at home knows you can run into awkward situations. People that go-to-work at an office typically do not understand why you can’t just leave your house for a moment or two to run an errand or assist with a project. At this particular time, my wife and I and our two children were living with my in-laws so I felt obliged to help. I reluctantly said ‘sure’ and mumbled a few other things under my breath. I put on some outdoor work clothes and hopped into Carter’s pickup and he drove us over to Ken’s house.

After loading up the truck with the wood, I noticed a few cars in the driveway with ‘For Sale’ signs in the windows. I was in the market for an affordable car for my wife. Our last vehicle had died and I couldn’t afford to replace it. I asked Ken “how much”. He said “well, those are already sold, but my son is moving to California, and he may be willing to sell his Cavalier that is parked out front. You may want to talk to him about it.” I found out that the son lived about an hour away, but just happened to be mowing the lawn for his dad that day. I talked to him and he said “this has been a great car for my wife and I, and it runs like a top… always has. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with it, because the church we are going to work for in California is in walking distance from everything, and we already have one car anyway. Would you be able to give me $100 for it?”

I choked out a surprised ‘ok’, brought my wife back for a quick test drive and bought the Cavalier that she instantly nicknamed “The Blue Racer”. It was a peppy 4 cylinder manual transmission with fully automatic nothing, but we both felt blessed by this gift. We drove the snot out of it that summer, drove it to Tennessee when we moved in 2003, and traded it to my brother when he needed a car for his son. He drove it for another year before selling it… for $100.

I have suggested to friends that when they are feeling depressed, they should consider serving others. It’s easy to feel good when you are helping someone. And sometimes… even when you are reluctant, serving others can provide some unexpected rewards.

Jason