My Encounter With A Door to Door Christian

I see a specialist today about my ankle.  He'll advise if I can finally take off this boot and start PT.  Walking around church I should wear a sign, "Not broken. Sprain. Volleyball.  Will accept free babysitting."  LOL.

Now, I want to talk about door to door salespeople.  In particular, door to door sales MEN, and a specific incident I had last week.

I'm sitting at the dinner table eating with my children at 6:30 pm when the doorbell rings.  Bookguy is not home. Kids fly to the front door and peer out the window.  "It's a man," Peanut says. 

Let me say this kindly to all you door to door male salespeople out there.  When you knock on my door, and I am a woman, and I am in my house with my little children with no man around, I DO NOT want to talk to you.  Whatever you are selling, I don't want it. 

I am very aware that you are a man, and I am a woman.  That you can overpower me.  That you could hurt me.  That you could rob me. 

But this day, I stupidly opened the door and to my surprise, the conversation began:

Salesguy: "Oh gosh, what happened to your foot?"
Me: (not wanting to answer a personal question) "Um ..."
Salesguy: "What's your name?  I want to write it down so I can pray for you tonight with my staff." 
Me: (cynicism oozing out my pores--now he's REALLY a manipulator) "Karen."
Salesguy: "Karen, I'm so sorry about your foot.  Every night I meet with my team and we love to pray for the people we meet.  I promise tonight we will pray for you, because God is a God who heals, and He has the power to heal your foot, no matter what is wrong with it."
Me: (still not buying it) "thanks."
Salesguy: "Karen, I want to tell you about my story.  I was once a nice guy with a lot of potential.  I had everything I wanted.  I was married with two young children, we had a great house, I had a nice job.  And then I messed up my life.  I became a meth addict.  I lost everything. (he shows me his pictures of his ex-wife and boys). 
Me: "wow."
Salesguy: "I was in prison and completely at the end when I found faith in Jesus Christ.  I was introduced to Teen Challenge and brought to their rehab facility where I became clean and sober--it's been over 2 years now!  Jesus restored my brokenness and I am a new creation in Christ.  I've been taking seminary classes and I work at Teen Challenge helping other kids who are just like I was a few years ago ... kids who are in need of forgiveness and restoration."
Me: "Praise God!" I said.  "I am a believer too!!  I love to hear stories like this."

{Pause for just a second}
When was the last time you were evangelized door to door by a CHRISTIAN? Christians just don't do that--we leave that to Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses, right? Christians invite you to church--we don't go door to door with testimony of transformation and redemption in Jesus.  In fact, I can't recall EVER being approached by a stranger in an effort to tell me about Jesus.  I was so blown away by this guys' courage. 

Now, here's the part of the story that was more difficult for me.

Salesguy: "Karen, I'm going door to door today to ask people to give money to help Teen Challenge.  This is a great ministry that helps a lot of people, and it improves our society as a whole, giving drug addicts a second chance, restoring families, making one less addict less likely to return to prison, and so much more.  We are telling people about Jesus and lives are being changed.  Will you give a gift today to help us? 

{Pause}
I was so ... bummed.  He wasn't going door to door to tell people about Jesus.  He was going door to door to tell people about Teen Challenge.  Yeah, that sounds a little more like what Christians do.  And now I look like a shmuck if I don't give $20.  When did fundraising start coming to my door?  I am bombarded with letters in my mailbox every day.  In my email box too.  And now they're coming to my front door during dinner. 

How quickly my posture changed.  How quickly I went from practically wanting to sit on the front step with this very sincere VERY nice guy (STRANGER) and talk Jesus over a soda, to put off and bothered by his interruption. 

Why is this?  Because he was asking me to do something?  Because I felt guilty?  Because I'm so assaulted by fundraisers and non-profits that I slip into cynicism in 2 seconds flat? 

I DO NOT want to be a cynic.  I want to be open.  I want to give willingly, lovingly, because my money is not mine, it's God's. 

So back to the salesguy.

Me: "Do you have any materials that I could look at?" 
Salesguy: (hands me a few brochures)
Me: "And is this your website?"
Salesguy: "yep."
Me: "Can I donate through your website?" 
Salesguy: "sure, if you'd rather do it that way." 
Me: "I want to pray about it first, and talk to my husband." 
Salesguy: "I understand."  (and I think he really meant it)

There are good ministries and non-profits and churches and missionaries all over the world doing amazing things.  Some of them blitz us with fundraising and needs all the time, some of them don't.  Who do we support?  What are true needs?  What is our heart's passion?  What does Scripture say?  What does God ask of us (in terms of giving)?  How far can I go in helping others?  Is there ever a "too far?" 

I'm praying for answers to some of these questions, but in the meantime, I refuse to be a person calloused by excessive "American" fundraising. I choose not to be a cynic. That is yucky. I don't want to have that kind of heart.  AND, I'm just going to slide in a small, teeny tiny request: PLEASE don't come to my door. I know you are trying to tell me about your great ministry, and I know you aren't meaning to scare me or invade on my privacy, you only want to tell me about the work you are doing. But is this the best way, really?