Power Verses……  “Love never fails..........And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:8 and 13)

An anonymous taxi driver related this true story which has had a profound impact on his life.

After a few months in the job I came to realize that my work was also a ministry. Because I drove the night shift, my taxi became a moving confessional on four wheels.

Passengers climb in, sit behind me in total anonymity and tell me about their lives. I encounter people whose lives amaze me, ennoble me, make me laugh and make me weep. But none touched me more than a woman I picked up late one balmy August night when I responded to a call from a small brick apartment in a quiet part of town. I assumed this would be just the normal, run-of-the-mill pick-up....... little did I realise it would change my attitude to life forever.

When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice wait a minute, then if no one appeared drive away. But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. So unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself, so I walked to the door and knocked.
"Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor, and after a long pause, the door opened. A small woman, probably in her 80's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil on it, like somebody out of a 1940's film. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils anywhere to be seen. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

"Would you carry my suitcase out to the taxi please?" she asked.

I willing did as requested then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward my cab. She kept thanking me for my kindness.

"Think nothing of it," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers in the way I would want my mother treated."

"Oh, you're such a good boy," she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me her destination address then asked if I could drive her through the downtown area.

"it's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said.

"I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice." There was a moment of silence and as I looked in the rearview mirror, her eyes were glistening.

"I don't have any family left," she said after composing herself. "My doctor tells me I don't have very long."

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We then drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing but no doubt thinking plenty as she relived her life’s memories.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under an arch. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were polite and helpful. They must have been expecting her. I opened the boot and carried the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.   "Nothing," I said.

"You have to make a living," she answered.

"There are other passengers," I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly as if she was reluctant to let go.

"You gave an old woman a few moment of joy," were her final words to me.

I squeezed her hand then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, I heard the door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had been given an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take her to the places she requested, or had honked my horn once, then drove away?

On a quick review he said, "I don't think that I have ever done anything more important in my whole life."

We're all conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware, and often come beautifully wrapped, in awesome significance.

People may not remember you for what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember you for how you made them feel.

Let us resolve at the start of this New Year to treat others in a way whereby they will remember us for how we made them feel. Perhaps you have someone in mind right now.......go, act, and live out your God moment!

Let us just hope that when the time comes, there will be those willing to take us on that final journey as we wander, for the last time, through the memories of our passed life.

The Bible says "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2)

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