Your Doorman

I like to think of Charlie as the most amazing “doorman” (or door- lady) I have ever known. Charlie has opened the door for my family to encounter doctors, teachers, therapists, parents, and even strangers in the grocery store who I may have never met otherwise. I can see these individuals simply as random people who have crossed our path over the years. Or I can see each person, each soul, as someone who needs a God encounter.

Perhaps God has known and designed, since before time began, for you and me to meet the parent whose child sits next to ours in class. Or the barista at the coffee shop who finds our child irresistibly precious. Can I challenge you to enlarge your perspective and see that God can accomplish His will on earth through the relationships and encounters He has designed for us and our children?

There are people all around us who are desperate to know the love of God, who need an invitation to church, who will be changed by an encouraging prayer, or who will be forever impacted by a bold testimony of God’s work in our lives. I have found myself walking into each of these situations simply because Charlie opened the door.

Your child could open the door to a mother who has long forgotten that there is a God who loves her and has a plan for her life. She might have never received an invitation to church and you could lead her one step closer to discovering that God is pursuing her heart and wants to have a relationship with her.

Your child could open the door for you to encourage a friend who is also raising a child who might be “different.” Because of your understanding and sympathy for the fears and struggles of mothering a child who doesn’t fit the mold of others’ expectations, you can bring strength and share the hope that the Lord has given you.

Your child could open the door to that doctor or therapist or teach- er who has a broken marriage and home. As the love of Jesus shines through you and an inner strength permeates each conversation and in- teraction, you can have a meaningful connection or simply offer a genu- ine prayer that points them to a loving, heavenly Father.

If it wasn’t for Charlie, I would never have crossed paths with so many people who need to know the love of Jesus. People I never would have met or interacted with are now contacts in my phone, play dates scheduled on my calendar, and names ever burning in my heart and in my prayers so they might know God and His love for them.