Integrity Check?

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The honor and integrity of a man can be seen in many ways. In my most recent encounter with a man of integrity I observed in him the kind of man I desire to be more and more every day. His name is Nelson Emokpae. 

Nelson is a musician who tours around to different colleges and such playing his music and inspiring the people he meets with his vivacious personality. Coming from having almost nothing but his family; Nelson moved to the United States at a young age from Nigeria. In my personal opinion it is his humble beginnings which inspire his confidence, appreciation of the small things, and above all, where he gives all credit. God. 

I met Nelson at a conference in Buffalo, NY where I was scoping out performers to come to the college I attend. He was up on stage for a short sampler of his talents; and he honestly had, for the most part, everything else the other performers had, except his countenance. The energy that came from that stage was powerful! I watched and became more and more hooked on what he was doing and saying. I analyzed everything he was doing, I had to figure out how him performing made me feel as if it was for me. I was baffled.  At the conclusion of his performance he said those three words, "God Bless You!" That's when i made up my mind to see this guy.


It was honestly quite awkward for me to stand there by his booth and wait around for him to get a free moment, as i felt like a lone stalker watching on the sidelines, but i must say it was well worth it. I started out the conversation with the common formalities of name and such. then I moved on to the question of his faith. The answer was a resounding yes! He was very adamant about his faith in God. He told me i was the second person in the past week to have told him that he had the look of Jesus on him.Nelson considered this a blessing to hear and also a sign from God that he was doing the right thing. What i got from Nelson is that from his smile to his general contagious persona, Nelson emits love. That's his secret! now I had already seen this in many other leaders i know and admire. Genuine love, passion, and interest seems to be the driving factor in how these people operate on a day to day basis. I already have made that my driving factor in almost everything i do. (though i need a lot of work in that area and constant reminders) However, i notice that at times, especially when i am tired, though i am friendly when i meet new people or talk to old friends, i have less patience and love than i should and often find myself forgetting their names or interest only moments after the conversation.So the question is, how do I keep faithful interest and retention in the people i meet and the situations i face? I Imagine that a great deal of it has to do with concentrating on the information and key points at hand. But there must be a lot more to it. What happened this morning helped shed some light on this question.

 Now Nelson came to play at my college and we shared lunch and some laughs after the show. but here is the kicker, he remembered first off my name, (which is impressive enough seeing as how he meets many people on a weekly basis) but second, he remembered what my dreams/ goals are. Now for me that made me feel special. He took the time to remember me and some things that i only briefly mentioned in a five to ten minute conversation! That to me means that either I am a person worthy of remembering, or that he cares enough about the people he encounters to remember them as people not passing fans. I would of believed he was just being nice to me because he had to until he sent me a sort email and a tweet this morning, (weeks after the show) asking how I, among other things, personally was doing! Really!? this made my day. here is a guy who is an advanced musician who has traveled around and probably been with more "important" people than I and he took the time to write me an email, follow me on twitter, and ask how i was doing.... Kinda reminds me of Jesus. Jesus could have spent his time with the greatest of men, but he chose to come to spend it with people like me, common sinners. Now that we are saved by grace, and I look at the examples around me I see more and more that, just like Nelson, it is my honor to talk to others and exude God's love to them.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" Ephesians 2:8
AND EVERY GOOD GIFT SHOULD BE SHARED!!!
Thanks for reading,
Carlton