‘He makes you feel like somebody’

I overheard the two men sitting in the booth next to ours. They were talking much too loudly. Though I tried to tune them out, one line caught my attention.

“He is such a joy to be around. He makes you feel like somebody.”

For some reason, that thought stuck in my mind when I returned home that night. Thinking back over the years, there were members and staff of churches we served that seemed to have that ability. They were always giving others a push, helping them to grow and giving all kinds of encouragement that made their quality of life so much better.

But then again, is that not what Jesus did?

Bonnie Royal had a way of making one feel he could do more than he thought. Bonnie passed away some 30 years ago, but I still picture that hospital room and the way she made me feel important.

The young girl in the bed had to be packed in ice every day. Her illness was terminal and Bonnie, being a registered nurse, had offered to sit with her every day for hours.

On this particular afternoon, I sat with them. Bonnie had invited me to come and be with her as we wiped the forehead, squeezed the tiny hands and sang a song. When I started to leave, Bonnie remarked, “I could have never done it without you today. You were such a big help.”

In time, I realized Bonnie did not need me there but made me feel like “somebody” important.

I’ve watched them through the years, people who counted it all joy to make it a habit to enrich the lives of others.

• A wealthy woman who made it a habit to look for the women in the halls of the church who seemed to need a lift. She would smile and spend a moment talking, perhaps giving a compliment. She made others feel like “somebody.”
• A pastor who never passed a child in the hall without a pat on the head. To that child, the pat was so important.
• A man who stopped by every pew with an elderly person on it and waved or spoke a kind word. Some of those elderly people had not had a wave or a hug in a long time.
• People with many degrees who did not measure the worth of a person by his lack of education.
• Groups of people in a church who have been friends for years but still invite new members and visitors to dine out with them.

I’ve observed pastors and church secretaries who made the  “needy” feel like “somebody,” when they called them “Mr. So-and-So.” All kinds of people find their way to a church office.

The way they are treated can give them a feeling of self-esteem they have never felt before. One educational director I knew would walk them to the car and thank them for coming.

This is love being put into action. We do not think so much of ourselves that we neglect offering a lift to the hearts of others.

I hope that everyone who ever comes into my presence leaves thinking more of God and feeling more like “somebody.” Investment in the lives of others day by day — that is part of what life is all about.