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.
Well, as such things go, one thing led to another. The sales manager went longer than anticipated and the meeting ran overtime. Their flights were scheduled to leave out of Chicago's O'Hare Airport, and they had to race pell mell to the airport. With tickets in hand, they barged through the terminal to catch their flight back home. In their rush, with tickets and brief-cases,one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of baskets 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 goodbye, 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 into the baskets, and helped set the display up once more. 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 $20 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. 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 we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.
Let's start living like we are worth the price He paid.
There are so many little things we can do to make us more Christ-like. One of the first would be to show genuine love for our fellow man -- believers and non-believers (especially).
I agree with Karma, there are so many little things we can do for other's. One of those little things I do for my patient Fay is to rub lotion on her legs and arms for her occasionally. It is such a blessing to be a blessing.
Joyce thank you for posting this I think every Christian should read it.
Quote from: joyce robson on June 01, 2005, 12:07:47 PM
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.
I so agree!! Especially that last sentence. If Christ lives
in us we should be so transparant that He lives
through us!
One example of being a little like Jesus has been posted here. Your love to post this, Joyce, is indeed Jesus-like. Thank you.
Joyce, thanks so very much for this. I really appreciated it this evening.
I don't know why but I went to this old post of mine today.
I really needed to see it and read it once again.
THank you all for your posting to my message.
It means a lot to me.
Know that I "feel loved"
Our God knows what we need and when we need it and I NEEDED this today.
So happy you found the responses here, Joyce!
Oh Boy!! I am glad I found this. It has made me take a really hard look at myself this morning. Thank You Joyce!
Don
Joyce, that's one I've hear/seen before and it's one I love. Always touches my heartstrings, no matter how often I read it. Thanks for posting it originally, and for bringing it back to our attention. :thumbsup:
:thumbsup:
How we long to have others see Jesus in us. I was encouraged, recently, to have a comment made where someone saw that decisions I made came from my belief that God and His Word control my actions. Thank you, Joyce, for this posting that reminds me to listen for the Voice that Elijah heard in 1 Kings 19: 12 - 13