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 things sometimes happen, one thing led to another. The last speaker at the convention went longer than anticipated and the meeting ran way over time. If the salesmen were going to make it home on time, they needed to really scurry to the terminal.
With tickets and briefcases in hand, they barged through the terminal to catch their flight back home. In their rush, one of the salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples.
Apples flew everywhere.
Without stopping or looking back at the mess they left behind, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding…All but one.
One salesman paused, took a deep breath, 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 sixteen 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 was stopping and no one cared 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. 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 goal, is it not? Aren’t we striving to be like Jesus? Does our life follow the path he has trod? In this world where people have lost sight of right and wrong, does our life reflect His love, grace and teachings?
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 His teachings as life unfolds day to day.
Sometimes it is so hard to make the “right” choice especially when the situation feels “unfair,” but those are the times that the real you can shine.
and start a new beginning,
but anyone can start today and
make a new ending.
~Maria Robinson~
Yes, I am a Christian and unashamed of my belief. That’s why I shared my testimony of Christ for my daughter in a post on my blog for all the world to read and for her to never forget.
It is nice to know I did something right in this life filled with heart aches and disappointment.
mom
Oh how I love to visit your blog. Biggest Hugs!
Oh my dear. What a treasure you are out there in the blogosphere! Soooo glad you are a testimony! Moreover, I am so very glad I found you.
Great story. I've been leaving a lot of apples on the ground lately. 🙂 Just what I needed today.
What a powerful story! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for posting, Red. While not as powerful as this story, I am always amazed at how many students love to have me sub for their classes. I have heard so many horror stories about how the subs often yell and don't seem to like being in the classroom. I believe that every day that I am in front of students that I get a chance to show them true love and caring–I can only hope that by the grace of God that I succeed.
That's a worthy lesson story (parable), worth hearing every so often as were Jesus' parables to make us pause and pay attention.
Beautiful. Both the post and the writer!
How completely poignant and lovely…if only there were more of that man in the world!!