What Do You Do?

This past week a neighbor moved in across the street and I was eager for a chance to go shake their hands and introduce myself while welcoming them to the area.  His SUV had a Marines emblem on the back window and that instantly had me perk up and want to meet the man.

While my mother-in-law came down to visit for the week from Michigan we did a great deal of driving around to tourist locations and just riding up in the mountains with the Jeep we just got.  A grand old time.  Early one morning before we took off on the days adventures the neighbor across the street was putting on a garage sale in his driveway.  A perfect chance to stroll across the street and say hello.

Almost instantly he asked me, "So, What do you do?"  The reason he was asking me was because I had my Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum on my side and he and his wife were from California.  The site of a gun on someones hip was still a culture shock to them (welcome to Arizona - Muahahaha).

Of course I knew exactly what he was asking.  He was asking, "What occupation do you engage in to bring money home to your family for paying your bills?"  But that's not what people ask when they meet other people.

It happens all the time.  People shake your hand, you mention the weather or some other meaningless subject and then you ask or get asked "What do you do?"

I got to thinking in church Sunday morning that each time this happens; it's an incredible moment for me to really offer a deeper relationship with the person.  Why be so superficial?  I know; it's because you really don't know the person and you're just being polite.  How can you trust them with giving them personal information?  Will they just use it to stalk and/or rob you and your family?  Who can you really trust these days?

What really pressed on my heart in Church Sunday was this:
I get asked, "So, What do you do?"
My response should be, "I wake up every morning knowing that Jesus Christ restored my relationship with God and I have a reason to live with a smile on my face.  I'm still a messed up person with problems like everyone else; but I've got a purpose in my life and a focus on my future that I never had before.... So, What do you do?"

I can't wait to try it out and see how it goes?

Offer your "So, What do you do?" answers that come to mind in the comments sections below.  I'd love to hear from you.  May you also inspire others and touch people you meet each day with the Love of Jesus Christ.