I wanted to share one of those moments of faith today. This one is a little different because it actually happened long before I accepted Jesus as my Savior. I guess it would be a retro blessing or something in those terms. Maybe you have experienced it. Someone from your past that the Holy Spirit brings to your remembrance years later and you know that the person was brought into your life to help show you the way. Yet you were not ready at the time to hear or accept it.
That would be William T Rider. Most called him Ride but I always called him William T. And when I first met the guy, all I could think is, what a piece of work he was. William T. was big and black and some even thought he was quite scary. I definitely fell into that category. When we first met on a jobsite, in of all places, Butte, Montana, I did my best to stay out of his way. But that was pretty hard to do seeing I ended up on his crew and seemed to be one of his favorite butt of jokes.
Now, let me admit this. I must have been quite the sight back in those days. Tall and skinny, with hair that fell to the middle of my back. A scraggly beard and a constant scowl on my face. Some said I had a pretty big chip on my shoulder. I just thought of it as hating life. But William T, well he thought it was funny.
Every morning when he would come in the lunchroom, what we called a ‘dry shack’, he would spot me and say, “Ahh, there is my little piece of sunshine! Hippy,” (what he always called me, I was never sure till sometime later if he knew my name) he would say, “You are one of the ugliest white boys I have ever known.” Some mornings it would vary but it was always about the same, William T, like to tease me senseless then during the day work me without mercy. I really hated life and the truth be known, hated William T. Rider.
But the one thing I loved back then was money and the Butte job was the kind I sought out and no one, and I mean no one was going to chase me away from the money. So, day after day, I seethed, gritted my teeth and did my job. Then one morning, William T came through the door and said nothing to me. That day he gave me a choice job and at the end of the day sought me out as I was heading out the gate. Putting his big hand on my shoulder he said, “John,” I was in shock, he did know my name! “I got to tell you.” He said, “You, man, are your own worst enemy.” I stopped and turned. All the frustration of the last month was in my heart and now I was going to let this guy know, “Listen, MAN, you been on me ever since I walked through these gates. I work twice as hard as most these guys and you have been trying to get me to drag up since day one. It aint going to work, so don’t come talking to me now. I’ll do my job and you can just get ____” I won’t write the word I said, but it was mean and hard spirited.
William T could have broke me in two, I knew that, but I did not care, nor did I expect what his reaction would be. He lifted his face toward the sky and started to laugh and laugh until tears were actually in his eyes. Finally, he could see I was not thinking this was all that funny and turned serious again. And it is what he said that has stayed with me. He said, “John, I am sorry, I have been ugly toward you. You are right. That first day I saw you I thought, this is one sorry excuse for an Ironworker. I wanted to run you off. It was not just the way you looked. Although, I have to say, that did not impress me. But it was your ugly attitude. It is always guys like you who poison a crew. Complaining and griping, but you did none of it. In fact, you one of the best workers I have ever had.” He stopped then and again put his hand on my shoulder. Beginning again, he said, “That is where I messed up. I should have stopped but I did not want the guys to like you, so I kept on getting on you. So, I am here to say, I judged you wrongly and tomorrow morning I am going to make it right. I am going to admit to the whole crew what I am telling you right now. You see, I believe this, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” Do you know who said that?” I shrugged and had some memory that it must be from the Bible somewhere and said, “Yeah, I guess, it is some Christian saying. But don’t get all religious on me. I get what you are saying and that is enough.”
With that I turned without saying another word. My anger was not abated but William T, was as good as his word. The next day he came in and started with his normal line, “Ahh, there is my little piece of sunshine…” But then told my crew mates the exact thing he had told me. I could see some of the guys were thinking he was joking but as the days went by, they saw he was a man of his word. So did I. I also began to notice that this big man was not scary at all, he did little things I hadn’t noticed before. He would give a guy $50 to hold him over till pay day. Or he would be listening as someone was sharing his troubles. I found out that I had been judging him too. His size, his blackness, his attitude toward me. It changed me a bit even back then. People noticed the chip on my shoulder was not as big. I tried to be a leader and work even harder. For the next three months, I was a better man for being around William T. Rider.
As with all construction life, I moved on to the next job. I never met William T again. I did hear sometime later he was ordained a Baptist minister. It did not surprise me. And I heard not long after that, he had passed away. He faded into the recesses of my mind and I never gave him another thought until one day I was reading the Beatitudes. That verse, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” From the book of Matthew Chapter 7, verses 1 & 2. Even though by that time I had read it countless times, I heard William T’s voice and I saw that look of… love is the only word that comes to mind. I knew that he had made me a better man even before Jesus made me a forgiven one. I am blessed to have known him and blessed to share him with you.
Blessings
John
8/7/19
