Taxi drivers like to hear stories

When the taxi driver loaded my luggage into the taxi, he looked like he was in his thirties and spoke English.

I was deliberating whether to share a story or to do my own thing when he asked me where I had come from.

I told him and asked if he would like to hear a story.

He immediately said yes and turned down the radio.

I shared the story of the lost sheep and asked him questions.

He answered all of them enthusiastically.

When asked if someone he knew had lost their way in life, he proceeded to share openly about how he had focused too much on sports in his teens and that led to his grades dropping and eventually being kicked out school. He entered another school but was too discouraged to study and started playing truant. He made a series of bad choices and ended up in a boy’s home.

He then shared about how his life turned around and everything was looking up. He had gotten married and had a child. However recently things had gotten worse and he was separated from his wife and child. He was miserable and lost.

We arrived at our destination but he wanted to talk more. So we sat outside my place and we spoke for another hour.

I encouraged him to get right with God and used the ten commandments to help him do that. He agreed and started to confess his sins to God privately.

When he got done praying, he told me he had received Christ years ago and had been baptised. I challenged him to submit and surrender his life to Christ. He said he needed time to think about it. He had stopped attending church recently so I encouraged him to return to church. I also encouraged him to speak to a pastor.

I handed him a book on marriage and another on family life. We marvelled at how God allowed our paths to cross. I prayed for him and wished him well.

I learned that I should always be ready to share a story and to expect God the Holy Spirit to use God’s story to speak to seeking hearts.

Used with permission of a Singaporean storyteller, CH.