I helped a 33 year-old man create the first resume of his life today.
He has been in jail a few times, done a lot of drugs; taken the typical path that leads to homelessness.
“My dad was a church deacon,” he said. “But he was also an emotional terrorist.”
“He used to tell me that I was God’s punishment on him for all of the bad things he had done.”
“He beat me too, of course. The last time he laid his hands on me were when I was 14. The things he used to do were…horrible. I’ve talked to him maybe three times since.”
It’s easy to look down on people like him…until you learn how they got there.
His expression as we printed off his resume will stick with me for a long time. He was genuinely proud. An expression I doubt he displays often.
“Can we get something nice to put it in?! Some kind of folder or something?”
“You bet!” I said and walked over to grab him a nice new manilla envelope.
He put the resume in the folder and said, “Perfect!”
Walking out the door, he smiled and thanked me.
I got more out of it than he did. I guarantee it. And all it took was 45 minutes of my time from start to finish.
It’s pretty easy to be a blessing to a person who has lived most of his life on the threshold of hell. A little common decency, some smiles and kind words will put a smile on his face.
But if you genuinely, deeply care for him…now that will blow him away.
I think I’ll do it again next week.
By Brian Phillips 