Part 3 - Do You Know A Fred?

(With kindest regards to Mark Sanborn for the 2004 inspiration from his book titled The Fred Factor)

Galatians 6:9 and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Do you know a “Fred”? I want you to stop and think for just a minute about the people you know. The ones you come in contact with on a regular basis. Do any of them strike you as being a “Fred”? We come in contact with so many people, you may not truly know them well but, you know how they made you feel after the encounter. Did they make you smile? Did they tell you to have a nice or blessed day? Did they give you their undivided attention even for the few minutes of your interaction? Did your actions add to or take away from what they were doing? Now think through your closest friends and contacts. Who always has a kind word? Who goes the extra mile? Who can you always count on when you need a helping hand?

Many of us go throughout our daily lives giving very little attention to those around us. We take for granted that the store clerk is going to be there to ring up our groceries or the mail carrier will have mail in our box by a given time. We pay to have our garbage picked up and our packages delivered. Have you ever taken the time to speak to these people? If you’re in an office building, have you taken the time to acknowledge the custodians? Do you ever express your appreciation for doing the job they do?

My group of people are mostly church family. You would think that if they go to church then surely, they must be like Fred. Sadly no, not all church goers are like Fred. But! Thankfully that’s not always the rule. God’s church is full of “Freds”. You know who they are: The one who is always washing the dishes or running the vacuum, the one who locks and unlocks the doors, turns on the lights and turns on the heat/AC, the one who makes sure the yard is clean and no debris for Sunday morning, the one who always calls or sends a text to check on those who are out to make sure they are ok, the one who shows up with a meal or dessert just because they know you’ve had a rough week, the one who scrapes your driveway because they know you can’t and its looking like a washboard, the ones who take the effort to get a job done with the least amount of discussion or fanfare. There are “Freds” all around us but do we notice them? Freds never expect recognition but appreciate a heartfelt thanks just the same.

Reread Galatians 6:9 again: and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Take the time to know who your “Freds” are and acknowledge them. Now, think about how all of this, ties back to Jesus. Bear with me as we look forward to becoming more like a Fred.