Don’t Miss Mattie
Mattie was born into a world that treated her as less than.
An African American girl in the South during the 1930s.
I can’t imagine the pain, the prejudice, the closed doors she faced.
But somehow, none of that hardened her outlook on life.
She always carries herself with dignity.
With joy. With a quiet strength that draws people in.
I first noticed her at church.
She had been coming for weeks.
And I had been busy.
Busy preparing. Busy running around. Busy doing things that felt urgent in the moment, but looking back, weren’t nearly as important as I thought.
One Sunday, years ago, as I rushed down the aisle, she stopped me.
Her eyes locked on mine.
“Why haven’t you ever talked with me?” she asked.
“I thought maybe you had a problem with the color of my skin.”
Her words stopped me cold.
I was crushed.
I tried to explain that I hadn’t meant to ignore her.
But intentions don’t erase impact.
The truth was, I had walked past her week after week, and she had noticed.
From that day forward, everything changed.
Mattie and I became friends.
Not just polite conversations, but real friendship.
Every Sunday, I made sure to stop and talk with her. And every Sunday, she made me better.
My wife and I had the privilege of taking her to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was shot.
As we walked through the exhibits, history came alive in her stories.
The photos on the walls weren’t just history to her. They were memories. They were lived experiences.
That day was a turning point for me.
I realized how blind I had been, not just to her story, but to how busyness can rob me of the relationships that matter most.
Here’s the truth:
We can be so busy doing good things that we miss the best things.
The people God puts in our path.
The friendships that can change us forever.
The historical perspective that once is gone is lost forever.
Elders have so much to teach us.
The wisdom from their yesterday could impact your tomorrow more than you’d ever imagine.
Don’t rush past the Matties in your life.
Stop.
Listen.
Be changed.
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