A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales
convention in Chicago .. They had assured their wives that they would be home
in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and
briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held
a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back,
they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly-missed boarding..
ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch
with his feelings and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose
apple stand had been overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye,
told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination
and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where
the apples were all over the terminal floor.
He was glad he did. The 16-year-old girl was totally blind!
She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the
same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about
her; no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.
The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the
apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did
this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he
set aside in another basket.
When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to
the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?
"She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we
didn't spoil your day too badly."
As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind
girl called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look
back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"
He stopped in mid-stride .... and he wondered. He gently
went back and said, "No, I am nothing like Jesus - He is good, kind,
caring, loving, and would never have bumped into your display in the first
place.
"The girl gently nodded: "I only asked because I
prayed for Jesus to help me gather the apples. He sent you to help me, so you
are like Him - only He knows who will do His will. Thank you for hearing His
call, Mister."
Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with
that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you
Jesus?"
Do people mistake you for Jesus?
That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that
people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is
blind to His love, life and grace.
Pretty much for the last couple of stories or articles, I have been getting from Walter in Canada. (forward e mails)
I have a friend in town and we have not really done anything since it is raining everyday. So maybe by the week-end I will have some pictures and other items to share? Maybe????
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