Changed Forever

Read Philippians 2:1-11

The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
-Luke 19:10 (NIV)

MR. Simmons was in his 80s when I was paired with him for our church's evangelism program. Just out of college, I wasn't sure Mr. Simmons and I would work well together. I feared a man his age would have little patience with the questions and concerns of non-believers. We knocked on the first door, and a woman answered reluctantly. After a brief, unproductive conversation, we headed for the car.

What followed changed me forever. Mr. Simmons closed his eyes and prayed, "I talked too much and should have listened. Lord, please send another to reach this woman. Help me to be wiser at the next door, to know when to speak plainly and when to listen."

While I was patting myself on the back for knocking on doors, Mr. Simmons was grieving over a lost opportunity and asking the Lord to transform him into a wiser servant. A 22-year-old who knew everything learned from an 80-year-old what it meant to be like Christ, who emptied himself (Phil. 2:7) for the sake of others.

Mr. Simmons got up every day knowing what he was put on earth to do. Because he walked intimately with the Savior, Mr. Simmons understood the tragedy of life without Jesus. He taught me that all my evangelism training was futile until I developed a heart of compassion.

by Joyce Wallace (Washington, USA)