There’s a point in Junkyard Wisdom when I describe three steps for being successful:
- Start by making friends with people different than yourself.
- Then keep doing that your whole life.
- God only knows what will happen.
Seems silly, doesn’t it? No strategic plan? No analysis of the big challenges we face? No StrengthsFinder test or Myers Briggs exam? How could this possibly be a plan for being successful? How could this possibly change the world?
But it is. It’s part of what God designed. It’s the Church.
We are called to love each other. When Jesus was asked who our neighbor was, he described a person we would dislike. He also walked with the poor, ate with the rich, lived in community, taught the learned, laughed with the kids. He was successful beyond imagine. And he changed the world.
As you walk through life as a teacher, a missionary, a writer, a musician, an engineer, a parent, a truck driver or anything else … take time to reach out to people different from yourself. You’ll learn so much that enriches your wisdom and your view on the world.
Then keep doing that the rest of your life. Be a lifelong learner of people and their hearts.
Trust me, God will show up. And you’ll have no idea what amazing things will happen. It’s awesome.
