One day during a prolonged funk, when I was sure the world as we know it was coming to an end, my neighbor stopped by to ask me for help. Her car had been stolen—that was the bad news. The good news was the police had found it. But because she was not comfortable speaking English, she needed my help talking to the district attorney, who wanted to know more about the facts of the case. She handed me a phone number and asked if I would call and talk to the prosecutor. Instinctively, I said, "Of course." And an hour later we had things pretty well wrapped up. My neighbor thanked me profusely and I was left to resume my gloom.

Only suddenly the world didn't seem like it was coming to an end because people still needed help and weren't afraid to ask for it, and I still had the power to do good. I actually felt hopeful for the first time in weeks. All it took was a simple encounter with God in the form of a neighbor in need.