Nobody likes to be ignored or brushed aside. When I was a kid, I found out the hard way what a struggle that can be.

It started when my parents went on a day trip on a Saturday. I was 11 years old at the time and I didn’t want to go. A couple who was our friends offered to take me to the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge while my parents were away. I was excited since I had seen the commercials on TV. Plus, I wanted to see peoples’ hair stand out when they touched the electric ball.

That Saturday morning, it was an overcast and cool spring day. It was pleasant if you were standing still, so I wore shorts and a short sleeve T-shirt. After we started out, I laid down in the back seat. I usually did that on car rides back then. I loved to watch the clouds in the back window. At night, I watched the stars and the moon. I thought it was cool that it seemed they were following us.

The husband was driving and lit a cigarette. This was back in the ’70s. He then rolled his window all the way down as he continued to drive. Let me tell you, that wind felt as if it was coming off of ice since it was flowing in at a fast speed. I wrapped myself up into a ball and said: “I’m cold.” He gave no response. Instead, he kept on driving and smoking. I said it again in a few minutes. No response. I turned my face toward the back seat so the cold wind wouldn’t hit my face. Also, I tried to cover my bare skin the best I could. After a few more minutes, I called out again. “I’m cold!” Nothing. It was as if I hadn’t said anything at all. By this time, I have given up on receiving any help from either one of them. The only things I could do was to pray and suffer through it until we arrived at the museum.

Finally, I heard the wife say: “Oh my! I have never such big goose bumps.” She had her husband roll up his window. Then she laid the little sweater she had brought over me. What she said next is “frozen” in my mind: “Why didn’t you tell us you were so cold?” Seriously? Of course, I replied: “I’ve been telling you all that, but you didn’t pay any attention to me.” She answered: “We thought you were just joking.”

“A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.” Proverbs 18:2 (KJV).

I had to tolerate being miserably cold because the driver and his wife had made up their minds that I was joking with them. This is why it’s so important to listen to what others are really trying to tell you. Who knows, there could be an opportunity to minister to them in some way.

As an adult, I keep jackets and blankets in my car all year round. I even take them with me to other people’s cars when it’s a fairly warm day. When they ask why, I shrug and answer: “Just in case I get cold.”