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“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” – Hebrews 13:2 

For several years we owned and operated a small cattle ranch in West Texas. Once after a long day out repairing fences, we were about to leave the ranch when Tee noticed one of our recently acquired young heifers all tangled up in a hay ring. I suppose the cow must have thought the hay was greener deep inside the ring than it was around the edges. The end result was that she had gotten herself into a fine mess, her hind legs completely hobbled between two steel rods while her head and torso were wedged between two others causing her to be trapped laying on her side on the ground.

So, there we were pushing, twisting, prying, coaxing, and pulling, trying to maneuver her body enough to loosen her hind legs so she could free herself, all to no avail. Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw an old red car drive down the road, stop, and turn around. A little short fellow got out wearing knee-high rubber boots and walking with a limp. “Ya’ll need some help?” he hollered seeing our predicament. “Sure do,” we replied. The man paused for a second to light up a Marlboro, and then hobbled over to where we were. Without a word he joined us in our pushing, twisting, prying, coaxing, and pulling until – thanks to his help – we were able to untangle her hind legs and set the cow free, without any of us getting kicked in the process.

Afterwards we introduced ourselves. His name was Lonnie, and he was on his way to work in the tiny village down the road from our ranch. The fact that he was wearing knee-high rubber boots should give you a hint that . . . well, let me just say he had a nasty job none of us would want. Unfortunately the only hospitality I could think to offer old Lonnie was a big “thank you” and a small stipend for his good dead, which he refused.

Sometimes angels appear in the form of a short gimpy-legged fellow driving an old beat up red car, wearing knee-high rubber boots, and puffing on a Marlboro. That little experience with Lonnie was a great reminder, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

• Hebrews 11:1 

There’s a little known story from years ago about a man who lived in my hometown by the name of Elmo Barron. Elmo was a gambler – a professional gambler – who had a wife and daughter and as with all gamblers he was sometimes up and other times down, driving a nice new car one day and having the utilities cut off in their home the next. One day, so I’ve been told, Elmo was walking past a church when he noticed the pastor sitting on the church steps crying. Stopping to see what was wrong the minister explained to Elmo that his wife had been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition and desperately needed an operation, but he had no money to pay for it. Elmo went over and confidently patted the pastor on the shoulder. “Don’t you worry about a thing, preacher,” he said. “Stay here and I’ll be back later.” . . . Now we can only imagine what occurred in the meantime, except that sure enough sometime later Elmo Barron came strolling back by the church and slipped the preacher a wad of cash, enough to pay for his wife’s surgery.

Elmo Barron lived and died before my time so I never actually knew him. And except for this one story I don’t know much else about his life. But given what little I do know and the place and time in which he lived I’d venture to guess a couple of things. First of all I’d be surprised if he had ever darkened the doors of the pastor’s church, and second I think it is fair to surmise that Elmo and the preacher had little in common – except for two things! They both obviously had big hearts, and they both – although in very different ways, but in tandem – demonstrated what it means to live by faith.

I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet (pun intended!) the preacher opposed gambling, and had probably preached many a sermon against it. And for sure Elmo was no preacher. On that they were about as opposite as could be. Yet in the preacher’s moment of deepest despair as he’s crying out to God in faith, who comes strolling by but a confident gambler assuring him, “Don’t worry about a thing, preacher. I’ll be back later.” Sometimes prayers get answered in unexpected ways, which is why we call it faith, “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

“Be joyful in hope . . .” – Romans 12:12 

People with joy, I have determined, are without exception people with hope. The two characteristics simply go hand in hand. A great example was Jim, a man to whom I had been introduced in the summer of 2005 as a potential buyer of his business. Actually it was his wife Mimi who had founded the business and built it into the well-respected successful enterprise it had once been, until ill health took its toll and the business began to fail. The responsibility fell on Jim to try to salvage it, but with limited experience and resources it seemed the only hope was to find someone who could acquire the few remaining assets and take over the operation, that prospective someone being me.

For weeks Jim and I worked side by side, often long hours at a time, simply trying to keep the doors open long enough so I could perform proper due diligence. Jim kept up the sales efforts while both of us negotiated with clients, vendors, creditors, and sales representatives. It was a tense time, but especially for Jim and Mimi who were on the verge of losing everything. Yet, throughout it all Jim remained cheerful and hopeful.

Jim and I developed a great friendship during that time. I found myself desperately wanting it all to work out so he and Mimi might salvage their financial lives. At the same time Jim was equally concerned that it be a good investment for me. In the end, however, it simply didn’t work out and the transaction fell through. My heart broke for Jim and Mimi as we went our separate ways. Yet even in those darkest of times – a sick wife, failed business, and personal bankruptcy – Jim wasted no time on self-pity and continued to maintain his sense of joy and hope. Not long afterwards we lost touch. . . .

. . . . . until one cold winter day several months later when my cell phone rang. It was Jim calling to check in, staying in touch. Here was a man in his mid-sixties who had lost everything, living with relatives because he and Mimi could no longer afford a place of their own, trying to pick up the pieces and start all over, yet in his voice was that ever present joyful hope. “Be joyful in hope,” the Apostle Paul reminds us. And to that Jim had been a powerful witness.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial . . .” – James 1:12 

For years my wife Tee and I have been avid joggers, a little slower now than we once were, but we are still at it just the same. On one particular morning a few years ago I remained behind to do some yard work while she took off for a run through the neighborhood, only to return a few short minutes later. As she limped toward me with a busted lip and two skinned knees there was no doubt she had stubbed her toe along the way and suffered a nasty spill. Intense pain beyond that of ordinary scrapes and bruises called for a trip to the emergency room which revealed an even worse injury, a fractured shoulder. Not a serious one, though, and with the aid of ibuprofen for the pain and a few weeks of convalescence, followed by some therapeutic exercises she was healed and rehabilitated. So, what did she do next? Not to be discouraged by her mishap, she got right back out there conquering the streets of our neighborhood in the dark hours of the early morning – though perhaps a little more cautiously!

My grandmother once told how she got pitched off her horse while on a leisurely Sunday afternoon ride with my grandfather and a group of their friends. After helping her up my grandfather insisted she re-mount the horse immediately both for the sake of her own confidence as well as to let the horse know she had not been intimidated. So, back in the saddle she climbed, continuing her ride without further incident – though perhaps with a more clear understanding between herself and the horse!

Mishaps and mistakes are part of life. All of us stub our toes or get thrown off from time to time. What’s important is how we respond. If we allow it, misfortunes can deflate our confidence and discourage our progress. Or, they can become some of our greatest learning experiences and best sources of wisdom. My grandmother climbed back in the saddle rather than lose confidence in her ability to ride. My wife returned to her jogging routine rather than being discouraged by her injury. Both learned valuable lessons from their nasty falls, and grew to be wiser from those painful experiences.

What great demonstrations from these two fine women of how to persevere under trial!

“First go and be reconciled to your brother . . .” – Matthew 5:24

Conflict inevitably occurs among humans. No matter how hard we may try conflicts can never be totally avoided in the course of our life experiences, but our behavior in response to it can make a huge difference in the outcome. That is, how we respond can either be destructive, making matters worse, or constructive, facilitating a fair and peaceful resolve. Allow me to share an example:

A friend of mine was the victim of a scathing post on Twitter recently about a remark he had made in a public forum (one of the unfortunate hazards of putting ourselves out in public in this age of social media). Needless to say my friend was hurt, angry, and humiliated that someone had taken offense to a message he had intended to be positive and diplomatic. But rather than lashing out at the person who posted the Tweet – or worse, suffering in silence – much to my friend’s credit he graciously extended an invitation to the other person, a stranger, to meet for coffee. And much to the credit of the other fellow he accepted the invitation. “First go and be reconciled to your brother.” 

When the two men met it was obvious they had differences – a generation apart in age, from very different backgrounds and life experiences, living in different environments, thus having very different political and philosophical views. But what they discovered in their face to face meeting was that they had one thing in common; they were both fellow human beings who cared deeply about the world and the people around them. And because of that one element of common ground they were able to work toward a constructive resolve to their conflict. Not that either changed his political or philosophical views, but they did gain each other’s respect which opened the door for civil conversation, and who knows, maybe even the beginning of a friendship.

So I applaud my friend for the grace he extended to his offender, and I applaud the other fellow for his courage in accepting the invitation. What a beautiful demonstration of a constructive response to conflict! And to think it all began with one small humble act: “First go and be reconciled with your brother.”