2 Kids, Some Paint and a Movie

I just finished watching Collateral, starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Fox. It was a really good film with some deeply defined characters. At one point the discussion turns to the meaning of life and Tom Cruise's character relays that he thinks a person is like a single star in the sky that, upon vanishing, no one even notices. Max, played by Jamie Fox, has been a taxi driver for twelve years while he saves enough to start his own limo business. He insists that driving is just a temporary job - yet he takes it very seriously. When introducing his character, we see Max getting his car ready for the night shift. The car is glowing, it's so clean. He knows the fastest routes in LA. He knows where the traffic is easiest to maneuver. He can determine, down to the minute, how long it will take to get from point A to point B.

Jamie said that as part of his research for this part, he spent some time with actual taxi drivers and he encountered a man very similar to Max. This man loves driving taxi. He has it down to a science. He has taken a job that many of us would look down upon as a lesser calling and has determined to complete it in excellence. His passion is the taxi and he lives to fulfill that passion with perfection.

Last October I went to Home Depot to buy some paint. After completing the much loved task of picking the colors we wanted, we took our selections to the paint counter. We had to wait for several minutes before it was our turn because the guy behind the counter was finishing up with another customer. He was going on and on about paint techniques and how to apply it just right.

At first, it was pure frustration. Just mix the paint, slap on the label and get on with it already! But then the more I listened, the more I started to get inspired by this kid. His hands and apron were evidence of his passion - a mix of all the colors he had prepared throughout the morning. As he finished with the people before us, he assured them that, if they ran into any problems or had any questions, they could reach him because he practically lived there. Then he turned to us with a smile and dove into the next project.

This guy loved paint more than anyone else I have ever met. He took pride in helping people create masterpieces in their homes or businesses. He gets a high just thinking about the small role he has played in facilitating beauty.

It's been six years since I graduated from Focus on the Family Institute. While there, I had the incredible privilege of studying under John Eldredge, who introduced me to The Sacred Romance. It was during those three months that he peeled away a blindfold that had been plastered on from years of textbook Christianity. My eyes were opened anew to the Author of a Story that I found myself in the middle of, as one of the characters.

The day before graduation, my dad and I went to the Colorado Springs airport to pick up my mom who was flying in for a couple days. Back then, you could still wait for someone at the gate, so we were sitting in front of the big windows, just passing the time. In front of us, there was one of those lego tables with a bunch of legos. Soon a couple of little boys came up and started creating this elaborate tower and I started to cry. They were living out the story of their heart. It has been instilled in us to create because we are made in the image of our Creator. Even little kids get it, though they don't know how to put words to it. We start practicing immediately for who we are going to be.

It is absolutely amazing, isn't it? There are millions of us - as many as there are stars in the sky. Some of us are building great buildings. Someone else is providing brilliant colors for the canvas and others are taking pride in the fastest route from the airport to a downtown hotel.

Whatever your role is, play it with all your heart. Nothing pleases the Author more.