You might be reading the title thinking, “Maria, are you crazy? I would hate to forget to close my garage door!” If you stay with me for a couple minutes, it’ll all make sense…
In 2015, we started going to Florida during the winter months to minister. It was a smarter move for us because The Kramers are based in central IL, and not too many gospel concerts happen in the winter there. When we first began, we would stay January-March. We needed to find a reputable hair salon in Florida so we could still look presentable on the platform.
We found a salon in the Kissimmee area, and quickly became close friends with our new stylist. In passing, we had met the owners of the salon and enjoyed brief conversations with them, too.
Fast forward to 2026. Our family is back in FL for our winter engagements, and we haven’t even been to the salon yet to get our hair done. I received a text message from the salon owner, and he was inquiring about one of our concerts in the Kissimmee area. It was a Valentine’s Dinner Banquet, and he wanted to bring a family member who was battling cancer to lift her spirits.
I am ashamed to admit to you, I hesitated to give him the ticket information. I didn’t want them to have to pay to see us. My pride was getting in the way. Ultimately, I decided to send him all the information, and he bought tickets.
The night of the concert came. There were round tables set up, and everyone enjoyed dinner. When we walked in to sing, we saw our salon friends at a table by themselves with their family member. My parents went and sat with them until it was time to sing.
The concert was FULL of praise! People were standing up, crying, thanking Jesus out loud, and truly worshipping.
After the concert and spending time at our product table, our salon friends were the last to leave. He came back around to us and said, “thank you so much for this evening. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life.”
A week and a half later, I received a text message from his wife early in the morning. The text read, “please pray. My husband just passed away from a sudden medical emergency.” There are no words, just complete shock. We had JUST seen them at that Valentine’s Banquet! He was so young!
And then it hit me…Lord, You are so merciful. You gave him a night of worship in Your presence before you called Him home.
My pride almost kept them from coming because I didn’t want them to pay to see us. I almost “closed the garage door.”
Sometimes, if you get home from a long day of work and you see neighbors outside working in their yards, it can be easy to quickly close the garage door. I have totally been there, where I have no socializing left inside of me.
What would happen if we left our garage door open more often? If we actually stepped outside our comfort zone, got to know our neighbors, and invited them to gospel concerts, church dinners, Bible studies, or even into our homes for coffee or tea?
You never know how one invitation can not only change a person’s life, but also a person’s family. Don’t close the garage door!