Every day we walk past people in the hallways at work or school, we drive and ride past others in cars on our way home, greet people in the aisles at the grocery store or smile and nod at a stranger passing. Have you ever wondered what that person's life is like? What they believe? Who are they really? Do they even believe in God? Are they married? Or if you're like me, I love hearing people's stories.... stories of struggles turned to victory, defeat turned to triumph, and the impossible manifest in miracles.
My momma always tells me that I don't meet any strangers and that I know everybody... I for one take pride in not meeting strangers. What can I say, I'm a people person. To that end, each month I will be featuring an untold story. Some will be people I know well, others will be people I've met along the way. So here goes..
I frequently visit the Dollar Tree behind my house and I know most of the cashiers and managers by name. I told you, I'm a people person and I like to talk to folks... So almost a year ago I go in to grab a few things, as I often do, and there's a new cashier working at the register. His name tag simply has one letter on it... T. I gather the things I had gone to purchase and head to the register. T greets me with a smile and a friendly hello. He asks how I'm doing and makes small talk. I told him that I was about to help plant a church and invited him to come. I promised to bring him a card with all of the info and directions to the church since he wasn't from here. And thus began the journey of getting to know T (I won't say his full name, I might get beat up lol).
After several months of visits to the store, T telling me I'm in love with him, that I come to the store just to see him, that my boyfriend is about to be replaced and a million other things…. I had learned quite a bit about him but not who he really was. He always said I wanted him but I was intrigued by the man hidden beneath the layers of life, the masks, the defenses and facades (it's a gift and a curse at times). It may just be the Minister and Social Worker in me, but I've always had this thing for seeing beyond the surface of people pretty quickly and I knew T had a real story to tell. So he agreed to let me get all in his business and ask him some questions.
T describes himself as "gangsta" but not in the initial sense that you're probably thinking. He's reclaimed the word and given it his own meaning. He is gangsta because he lives by his own rules and goes against the grain of society to determine his own brand of cool. In his words, “I make my own rules without breaking the rules of others”. T was born in Flint, Michigan (migrated to KY via Detroit), the middle child of 5 and the only male of the bunch. His mother was and still is quite active working behind the scenes in politics and Civil Rights. She along with his extended family can be credited with teaching him many of life's lessons.
When I asked him who the most influential person in his life had been he couldn't tell me just one person. He's learned valuable lessons from each of the people he's encountered throughout life and wouldn't have it any other way. He said the greatest gift is to learn something from everyone. T believes we're all here for a purpose. I asked what he felt his purpose was and he doesn't know. Purpose is found by walking out life and making choices. God is the head of everything, he give you strength, courage, His son, and life if you accept it... you're free to be anything you want to be. Things line up to show you what you create with what God gives you.
Shug Avery in the Color Purple said "Everything wanna be loved. Us sing and dance, and holla just wanting to be loved. Look at them trees. Notice how the trees do everything people do to get attention... except walk?" So I asked T what is love? His answer... God is love. It’s a noun and a verb, it takes action to love. God is the greatest gift I can give someone… His truth and love… It’s How a person receives it that makes it great or minute.
Some of the most difficult things to handle in life are regrets... those shoulda, coulda, woulda moments. After a few moments of reflection I received a very honest and heartfelt answer..."having sex too soon, drinking, selling drugs, everything I did that was bad, but I don't regret learning street smarts." Moving beyond the regrets and pressing forward T shared his secret ambitions with me. He aspires to be a songwriter, sell his songs, and move to the South of France to enjoy the culture there. At one time he dabbled in broadcast, did radio, tv, and even rapped, but now he uses his life experiences to write love songs.
He shared one of his songs with me while we were talking about his life and it was honest, relevant, and a work in progress. His journey with God was reflected in the song Hem of His Garment. He said he's not a singer but he feels the music and understands the words because he's singing his story. Even in this God was speaking to T. He only has the first two verses of the song finished because when he sang "I was a liar, a cheat, and a thief" God stopped him and said you're still those things so you can't write the next verse until I bring you out and give you the testimony.
As our time came to a close I asked two questions that I love to hear responses to. 1. If you only had one day left to live, how would you spend it? 2. How would you like to be remembered or what legacy do you want to leave behind? The answer to the first was so unexpected I laughed and had to recollect myself before I could get the details. He said he would go to the South of France with some bad chicks, get a '73 muscle car, smoke, drink, have sex, and eat a lot of good food. Then he would tell everybody that he loves them, give a speech about his life and what he's done and learned AND THEN go humble himself before God. In the midst of my laughter I said WOW...well at least it's honest. The he came back with part two and said those are the things he would probably want to do, but he'd rather spend the time getting his life right with God. He wants to be remembered the same way he started... Gangsta!
I have to give a special thanks to T for letting me ask him a million questions, get in his business and for being so candid with me for the purposes of ministry. I pray this will encourage you to be more aware of those around you and to get to know the people you interact with beyond saying hello...Check back next month for another untold story!!
As our time came to a close I asked two questions that I love to hear responses to. 1. If you only had one day left to live, how would you spend it? 2. How would you like to be remembered or what legacy do you want to leave behind? The answer to the first was so unexpected I laughed and had to recollect myself before I could get the details. He said he would go to the South of France with some bad chicks, get a '73 muscle car, smoke, drink, have sex, and eat a lot of good food. Then he would tell everybody that he loves them, give a speech about his life and what he's done and learned AND THEN go humble himself before God. In the midst of my laughter I said WOW...well at least it's honest. The he came back with part two and said those are the things he would probably want to do, but he'd rather spend the time getting his life right with God. He wants to be remembered the same way he started... Gangsta!
I have to give a special thanks to T for letting me ask him a million questions, get in his business and for being so candid with me for the purposes of ministry. I pray this will encourage you to be more aware of those around you and to get to know the people you interact with beyond saying hello...Check back next month for another untold story!!
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