God laid a statement in my heart a while back that I just can't get rid of.  "People are opportunities, not burdens."  I truly believe the reason God spoke so clearly to me on this was due to sin in my own life.  So many times I've had people doing something that really irritated me and I wanted to jack their jaws.  But I remember what Rick Warren said, "Miserable people make people miserable." 
Hurting people are everywhere.  All you have to do is open your eyes. 

I realized that I had begun worrying about the people in the church and that was it.  Sooooo, I began to pray for God to open my eyes so that I could see hurting people.  A day doesn't go by I don't see them.  Now the question was, what was I going to do about it.
I don't stop and pray every time I see someone I think is hurting, i just respond.

Great example.  Just this past week I saw three people walking in very cold weather.  I could have pulled over prayed should I stop and pick them up.  But I knew the answer because  knew I'd want a ride.  Jesus put it this way,

Matthew 7:12 
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

It was 19 degrees one morning and a young man was walking with nothing on but a hoodie and some flip flops.  I asked if he wanted a ride and he immediately jumped in.  He had been walking for over an hour and was trying to get home.  He'd just gotten out of jail for stealing $200.  What an opportunity to tell someone about th love of Jesus.  He said he'd be at 5 Point but he would have said anything to stay in the warm truck.  Will he come, I don't know.  But he knows Jesus and I love him.

The second was a older gentleman and his son.  He had a definitive limp which caused him a great deal of discomfort.  I had Jacob
(my ten year old) with me because I want him to open his eyes for hurting people.  The two had already walked several miles and had several more to go.  My heart broke for them because they stank and didn't have a lot of hope.  As we came to their desired location they briefly said thanks and jumped out. 

The third was yesterday morning.  With the temperature hovering around 26 as I headed to Clemson.  I saw several vehicles in front of me honking their horns and swerving.  I slowed down to see a 70 plus man trying to push his bike up a hill.  My heart was broken.  I instantly pulled over and threw his bike into the back of my truck.  His eyes and nose were running from being so cold.  I wanted to lean over and hug this old man.  How could so many people honk in frustration rather than stopping?  Because they saw him as a burden and not an opportunity.  I took him to a store in Central because he wanted some coffee.  As I took his bike out of my truck I realized both his tires were flat.  No wonder he couldn't get up the hill.

For those of you who continue to say, "Dean, you gotta stop picking people up, one of them is going to kill you."  That is a possibility, but I will continue to ask God to open my eyes and truth be known, I'm gonna die one day anyway.  Why not from trying to help someone.

I'm not saying all of this to persuade you to stop and pick up hitch hikers or even old men who aren't asking for a ride.  What I'm asking is that you open your eyes to all the hurting and lonely people in the world today and look at them as opportunities and not burdens.