February 15, 2010

Those Problem People
by Pastor George Van Alstine

Charles Crawford was a solid member of the ABC family for years, before his passing in 2002. He and I also had a personal friendship that allowed me to know him on many levels. I don't know how many times I heard him rename a problem as an opportunity. If Charles were an astronaut, the famous NASA phrase would have been, "Houston, we have an opportunity!"

Charles had been a part of a sniper team in Viet Nam, which meant he faced the possibility of dying every time he went out into what he called "the trees." Later on, he faced many opportunities as he and Amelia raised four daughters, which, he told me, was just a little less dangerous than "the trees." I believe that a big part of his success in whatever he did was his choice to see every problem as an opportunity.

When Charles was elected to be the ABC Treasurer, he came equipped with valuable experience from his work as an internal auditor at JPL, but his positive, can-do attitude was just as important as his life experience. I can remember Finance Department meetings in which he changed the direction of budget discussions just by encouraging us that we were not facing problems, but opportunities. I remember one time when Charles looked at the figures and said, “Boy, we have a real opportunity this time!”

Recently, I have begun to apply Charles' wisdom to the human relationships around me, to business meetings in the church, to conflicts and hard feeling I see popping up once in a while. And here's what dawned on me: every person who seems to be a problem is really an opportunity!

Think of a group setting in the church, a Bible study, a committee meeting, even an informal discussion. It all seems to be working all right, except for this one person who is always disruptive, brings up irrelevant issues, constantly contradicts others' ideas, talks too much, etc.* Our tendency is to try to get rid of the problem. We wish the person weren't present, and we breathe a sigh of relief when they don't show for a meeting. If they do come, we try to shut them up, recognize other hands that are raised rather than theirs, discount their ideas in dismissive ways. That just seems to make them more aggressive. The leader of such a discussion or meeting comes away exhausted, often defeated.

In recent years, the Lord has led me to see that these problem people are in my world for a reason. I have tried to see their participation as an opportunity for growth and expansion. No, their contribution doesn't fit into my plan, but my plan is not necessarily God's plan. You know what I've discovered? Three things happen when the problem person is embraced as an opportunity, and they're all good. First, if the person is genuinely listened to, they are satisfied; they don't take over the group, and their need to talk is not infinite. Second, the group actually comes to a better conclusion or decision when that person's ideas are incorporated. Third, the problem person begins to "mellow out" and actually becomes part of the team.

As I was thinking about this, I realized that Jesus himself used this approach in selecting his key followers. Among his disciples was Peter, whose contribution to their discussions were often boisterous and totally inappropriate. The brothers James and John were known as the “Sons of Thunder,” evidently having a reputation for being "loose cannons.” The tax-collector Matthew probably had a tendency to bring secular ideas into their spiritual discussions. Simon the Zealot had a political agenda that was not Jesus' focus at all. And who knows why he chose Judas? After Jesus’ resurrection, he went out of his way to select Paul to be his number one ambassador to the outside world, a man who was considered to be a serious problem person by other church leaders. Evidently, Jesus saw all these people not as problems, but as opportunities. And their offbeat personalities have been gifts to the church ever since.

Here's my challenge to you: give somebody a name change! Think about a problem person in your life, in your church relationships, maybe in your family. Then hear Charles Crawford say, “That person's an opportunity!” You may feel like responding, “Yeah, that person's a REAL opportunity!” Give them the new name, and you may be in for some REAL blessings.

* If you take this personally, then you have a real opportunity!