In Someone’s
Prayers
Read:
2 Corinthians 3:1-3
My
sister sent this to me and I thought it a perfect addition to the
Lenten devotional. As for a Bible verse, I think I would select Lynn
Van de Putte's favorite: "Be still and know I am God"
because I think if we followed that advise, we would make more
decisions like the one described here. I only hope I will stop next
time I spill the apples!
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.
If
we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would.
Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to
church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.
You
are the apple of His eye even though you, too, have been bruised by a
fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked up you and me on a hill
called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.
"Being
happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you've decided to
see beyond the imperfections."
The
nicest place to be is in someone's thoughts, the safest place to be
is in someone's prayers, and the very best place to be is … in the
hands of God
Carolyn
Franklin
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