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Universally Personal.

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Welcome to Universally Personal. I'm Greg Allen and we're here to uncover Universal Truth by exploring our personal experiences. Today we'll hear from Lou Rodriguez. Lou takes us on a whimsical journey centered on making people's day better. Which was his exact answer to the question, What makes you feel most alive? We'll explore his unique approach to building deep relationships while tackling daily tasks. Lou wraps up the episode with some great advice on keeping your eraser handy. I've known Lou for 30 years, and I've never seen his empathy or integrity waver. From the sound of his voice, you might picture a handsome, smiling Latino who is generally eager to make your day better. If so, you'd be exactly right. Let's get started with Lou.

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Universally personal.

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The longer I've been in ministry, the more I realize that everybody carries something. Even people that seem to have it all together, they've got a hurting child, there's something in their past that they're still wrestling with. And she went back in her room and another teacher came out, took him by the shoulder, and said, Don't believe that. That's not true. Don't let what you just heard influence you because it's not true. So those kind of things are making a difference in people's lives. How you interact with people anywhere, you want to make their day better. One of my favorite novels to read and reread, and now they've made the movies, of course, is The Lord of the Rings. And me and my kids love that series. We talk about it all the time, and I've always tried to figure out which character in the Lord of the Rings am I most like. Sometimes I feel like Gollum, but but I've asked myself, am I Aragorn or am I Gandalf? And it dawned on me a while ago, it's like I think the person that I identify with the most is Sam, Sam Gange. And I just want to take care of Mr. Frodo. Being content to be a Sam. Be content that you're not going to be the guy that's going to be leading the armies. You're going to be, as a New Testament comparison, that would be Barnabas in the New Testament. He was a leader in the church, but then he had to surrender the lead and allow Paul to be the lead and make sure that Paul was successful and look for people who were hurting and making a difference. Making a difference.

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Let's make a deal to work together going forward and actively lift each other up. Lou is brilliant at building community. To me, it can get a little annoying. I distinctly remember saying to him once, Lou, I could have completed this entire job by myself in an hour. But with all this help, it's taken us four hours. Of course, that was absolute music to his ears. He probably thought I was learning a deeper lesson in that moment. Well, I'm trying. Let's get back to Lou and see how he actually tackles those tasks.

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Maybe making a friend and going deeper with a friend. That's the real objective, you know. I love my two daughters-in-law. I love both that I adore them. They're wonderful, wonderful people. I remember my son was asking me, I'm installing a new garage door opener, can you help me? And then um, and and but he had to go. And so me and my daughter-in-law uh worked together. We figured out how to make it work, and it worked to perfection. And then she looked at me and she goes, and now, now, Dad, can I take you to lunch? And it was like, you just made my day. I'll I'll do that all day long. Our growth as believers is both vertical and horizontal. And that yeah, it's my relationship with God. But it's also true we were never meant to live the Christian life by ourselves. We're meant to be in community with other believers. And have this person go over there and do this. And I stopped him and I said, Wouldn't it be so much better if they all worked together in the same room? Because that's where the bonding starts. You know, uh we just had a cleanup day at the church, and my ultimate goal uh was for the men of the church to be working together, you know, and then eating together and laughing, and it was it was a really good day. We sweated, got dirty, but it was a good day. There's a bonding, it's the journey. We were never meant to live the Christian life by ourselves. We're meant to be in community with with other believers. And listening for things, listening for things and doing little things to tell them, I heard you, I heard you, and I saw you. Again, we're not meant to live the Christian life by ourselves. So I mean in the in the light of eternity, a painted wall is important. Maybe making a friend and going deeper with a friend, that's the real objective, you know. And then eating together and laughing, and it was it was a really good day. We sweated, got dirty, but it was a good day. It was a good day.

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We all make mistakes, and we all want to feel loved. But what if we finally realize that those two things are not intrinsically linked? I've told my family and friends for years, you are not on a performance-based acceptance with me. I'm sure you will agree that Lou's explanation of this is much clearer than mine. Imagine if we extended grace to everyone by choosing to rub out a mistake rather than rub it in. Here's Lou on keeping the eraser handy.

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I don't like what you did, but I sure like you. Like I do a lot of premarital counseling, and in that, these are couples who are about to get married and want to figure out how to do it right. And one of the quotes that I heard a long time ago, I can't claim it as my own, but I use it a lot, is and it's kind of like two different statements. And one of them is marriage is a union of two good forgivers. That seems to resonate with couples, it seems to resonate with married people too. And the other one, and I will let literally have a couple write it down and put the appropriate names in there, is that you will never have to forgive your spouse more than Jesus Christ has already forgiven you. So I'll say that to myself. And he said, I don't like what you did, ma'am, but I sure like you. And I thought, that's interesting. And there came a point one day where my son messed up, and I said that to him, I don't like what you did, but I like you. And I wasn't prepared for the emotional response that my son gave because he looked at me and cried and said, That's exactly what I needed to hear from you, Dad. That's exactly what I needed to hear. I don't like what you did, ma'am, but I sure like you. The union of two good forgivers. And there is a quote that I've given them that uh that I think they're remembering. In fact, my 16-year-old granddaughter, who I adore, and she knows I adore her, she says, I remember when you say one of us will do something wrong. You'll look at us and you'll say, Well, that's why they put erasers on pencils. In other words, we don't rub it in, we rub it out. Because sometimes people ask about legacy. If my grandkids, when I'm gone, I'm not in a big hurry, by the way, but when when my grandkids, when I'm gone, if my grandkids can look back at that statement and really apply it to their lives, you know, that's why they put erasers on pencils. We don't rub it in, we rub it out. It's a journey, it's a constant journey.

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What a beautiful reminder from Lou about the power of intentional relationships, and of course, keeping that eraser handy. Lou's journey shows us a profound universal truth. Making someone else's day better isn't just a kind gesture, it's a powerful way to truly feel alive. When we prioritize empathy and integrity in our daily task, we don't just finish the job, we build community. I want to give a big thanks to my longtime friend Lou Rodriguez for sharing his heart and his wisdom with us today. And thank you for tuning in to Universally Personal. If Lou's story sparked a reflection on what makes you feel most alive, please share this episode with a friend. I'm Greg Allen. Until next time, be fit, stay sharp, and listen closely.

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Universally personal.