Win The Day

Can you imagine what life would be like if each of us woke up every morning with a commitment to “Win the Day” for Christ. What would that look like in your life? What would that look like in our world?  Although we have the same end purpose in Christ, our journeys are different. Since, by design, everyone is uniquely different our journeys are purposefully different, so your winning the day will look a little different than mine.

What does that look like for you? Stop and take a moment to think about that question. 

​Winning the day might look like spending some intentional time with your family. It could mean being there for a friend in need. Perhaps it means visiting the sick, bringing food to the homeless, visiting those in prison, making sure your staff knows they are loved or perhaps praying for a stranger or an elected official.  Whatever winning the day looks like for you today, go for it because tomorrow's win will need to stand on its own. 

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​Each day comes with new challenges, but also new mercies. Although each day may look different, you are still looking for the win and they all must start with “looking around.” Before you can seize the opportunity, you must see the opportunity.

So, I believe winning the day means giving each day your all. It means putting your hands to things that have eternal value. Winning the day means listening to God and moving at his command. Ted says, as he speaks of winning the day, "I'm not going to focus on yesterday and I'm not going to worry about tomorrow." He goes on to say, "It helps me to be where my feet are."

This week I had the opportunity to speak with Ted Clouser. I got to know Ted and his family shortly after my move to North Little Rock. He and I attend the same church. Now, what you’ll notice, when you listen to the entire interview, is that Ted didn’t introduce himself as President/CEO of PCA Technology Solutions, which is one of the things I admire about him; his humble spirit.

When I see Ted, I see a man who loves and leads his family well, but I know that is only possible because he loves and allows himself to be led by the Holy Spirit. To be led by the Holy Spirit means to be submissive, attuned, and obedient to the desires of the Spirit. We can clearly see that happening in Ted’s life, specifically when he speaks of his encounter with Carlos.

Ted and Carlos, at first glance, having lunch together would be an unlikely pair. Carlos, by his own admission, is a panhandler. Ted on the other hand is a business executive. Do you see the contrast there, from the world’s perspective? But this is just the kind of “chance” encounter the Holy Spirit would orchestrate. 

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Ted found himself in Nashville, TN on a business trip. As he left his hotel room to get a meal, the puzzle pieces were already laid out by the Holy Spirit. But…if Ted had not been attuned to the Holy Spirit and looking around, he could have surely missed it. Missing it doesn't mean the pieces would not have been there, but it means he could have walked right pass it without seeing it. 

Ted is from Little Rock and Carlos is from Pine Bluff. They both found themselves, at the same time, in downtown Nashville. Sure, that is probably not uncommon at all, but Carlos had spent some time in Little Rock, so meeting someone from Little Rock would have sparked a kindred spirit within him. By the time Carlos met Ted, he said he had been hanging out there for several hours as people just passed him by. But Ted, with a nudging by the Holy Spirit, left his hotel and headed in Carlos’ direction.

There are many powerful experiences in this encounter, but it starts with a complement and respect. As Ted was passing Carlos, he complimented Ted on his shoes. And Ted looked beyond the layer of his exterior and saw the man. In our current world climate today, that is needed. What I think is also important is I don’t feel Ted saw Carlos as a “poor soul who needed to be fixed.” I believe Ted saw a man, down on his luck and although he bought him a meal, he sat and ate lunch with him. I surely can’t speak for Carlos, but I want to believe that in that moment Carlos also felt like a man.

So, the two of them sat in a restaurant, of Carlos’ choosing, and shared a meal and conversation. They talked about family, life, sports and Little Rock. That’s right, this panhandler from Pine Bluff, AR also knew a few things about Little Rock, as a way to connect with Ted. What are the chances? Well, I don’t think it was by chance at all. I once saw this biblical definition of coincidences, “what occurs together by God’s providential arrangement of circumstances.”

Ted not only sat and visited with Carlos over lunch, but they also went to listen to a live band. For Ted, this was just another reminder of God’s goodness. God interrupted his day to remind him to “look around.” In doing so, Ted “won the day.” I know we have things on our agendas that must be done, but for Christ followers, whatever is not done for the glory of God is done in vain. And on the flip side of that coin, whatever is done for His glory has eternal value that far outweighs momentary gain.

I encourage you to head on over to my YouTube channel and check out my full interview with Ted to hear the whole story, which is fascinating. But here are a few things I want you to consider as you listen.

If you are a man reading this story or listening to Ted’s interview, how do you think Carlos felt? I know it is easy to think homeless people are homeless by choice. But, I don’t think many people make a conscious choice to live on the streets? And for some, one wrong choice can totally change the trajectory of a person’s life. Options become fewer and none feel optimal, at which point the hole you’ve gotten yourself into seems to get deeper and deeper, until you don’t see a way out. 

There are many things that can cause a person to be homeless. According to the National Law Center, the top causes of homelessness are, (1) lack of affordable housing, (2) unemployment, (3) poverty, (4) mental illness and the lack of needed services, and (5) substance abuse and the lack of needed services.

Now for women who are reading this blog post, I want you to imagine if it were your husband, brother, son, or father. What do you think it feels like for a man not to be able to care for himself and those around him?

I think it is important to seek to discover the “why” and then the “how” instead of totally focusing on the “how.” What I mean is if we just know how someone got where they are and we focus on how to get them out of that particular circumstance we may miss an opportunity to bring about lasting change. But when we investigate the “why” they are there, we can get to the inner causes that brought them there and making a foundational change yields changes in the “how.”

So what Ted did when he shared a meal with Carlos was invest in the “why” of Carlos. No, Ted didn’t go in with an agenda, but God had created the encounter, so God was already working on the inside of both men. I want to believe that in that #WhatIfChrist Moment, Carlos felt valued and seen. I also believe that Ted felt valued and seen. Although Carlos may have not yet connected the dots, that he was noticed by God, I believe Ted did point him to Christ. And I feel Ted knows he was noticed by God to carry out a very important assignment. Anytime we point people to Christ, that is an assignment that has eternal value.

If that were the end of the story, it would be wonderful, but there’s more. Ted met Carlos in Nashville in the middle of the week and by the weekend, while he and his wife were out having dinner, in downtown Little Rock, he noticed his wife talking to a gentleman and… Yes, you got, it was Carlos. I believe that was another divine appointment. Ted found out he was waiting for the bus because he was on his way to Pine Bluff. Ted learned there had been a death in his family and he was heading home.

I think it is important to say Ted had prayed that Carlos would reunite with his family, never expecting that death may be a way for him to reconnect, but God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

At the time of our interview, Ted had not seen Carlos since that night in Little Rock, but I believe it may not be the end of the story. I’m waiting to hear the next chapter from Ted.​

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Make sure to listen to my full interview with Ted.