The gospel of John tells of a woman who found herself in the company of people society had placed above her in importance. Jesus was there and she wanted to show her gratitude, so she took perfume and massaged His feet. Some folks at the party took exception to this. They didn’t criticize her action; it was customary in their culture. The issue was the very expensive perfume. The complainers said it could have been used in a better way. Jesus answered the critics, ‘Leave her alone. She has done what she could.’ When faced with what to do, she was faithful in giving her best to do what she could do.
My friend, M, got her real estate license so she could support herself after a divorce. In the agency that hired her, she was the rookie; that meant she answered phones and passed any leads to other agents. One day a call came in from Walmart. A prospective management hire needed an agent to show him some homes to help with his decision toaccept Walmart’s offer and move to NWA. He was not shopping for a house; he only wanted to tour the area. M tried to give the lead to the sales force, but it didn’t look like a money-making opportunity and they all declined. M told the caller if his prospect could wait until the office closed, she would take him. He agreed. She drove him all over Rogers and showed him homes in several subdivisions. When he left, he thanked her. Days later, M was contacted by the original caller to say the man decided not to accept Walmart’s offer and wouldn’t be moving here. However, the caller was so impressed with her kindness and patience that she would be the only person contacted for future prospective management hires.
A short time later, another call came. She was again faithful to do her best and sold an executive-level home. Weeks later, she repeated that process. Month after month it continued. Today, she is the most decorated and awarded real estate agent in NWA. Since the AR Business Journal began recording data, she’s been #1 in sales 10 times, 7 times in consecutive years. She’s been voted #1 Realtor by Celebrate Magazine 8 consecutive years. No one has sold more real estate in NWA than my friend, M, who was faithful in doing what she could. She answered the phone. She gave time to a non-paying task. She did her best.
M is one of my heroes, but not solely because of her sales ability. Her greatness is rooted in understanding God’s role in her success and in understanding her role in helping others.
My friend’s story is not being told for her sake, but for our sake, for all of us doing what we can as The Best Team Ever. This is part 1. Part 2 is for next time. Lord willing, the second part of her story will encourage us as our story unfolds. Until then, remember – you are greatly loved!
–Jackie Chesnutt, Chaplain and Emotional Support Coach for Myers-Davis (1/26/2026)
