A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner.
In their rush to catch their plane home, and with tickets and briefcases in hand, 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!!! that is.
He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his emotions and suddenly felt a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had just 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 destination and to explain to her—in his well chosen words—why he was having to take a later flight home.
He then returned to the terminal where the apples were still all over the terminal floor. When he saw what he and his buddies had caused, he was glad he did come back because the 16-year-old girl, manning her little apple stand, was totally blind!
There she was, sitting on the floor next to the mess, softly crying, tears streaming down her cheeks in hurt and frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her. People were moving hurriedly about, kicking an occasional apple, no one paying attention to her plight—no one stopping to lend a hand—no one to care for this helpless young one in need.
The salesman knelt on the floor with her and began gathering up the apples. He put them back on the table and then helped organize her display. As he did all of this, he couldn’t help but notice 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 $50 for the damage we caused. 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 young girl called out to him.
“Mister… “
He paused and turned to look back into those blinded eyes.
She continued, “Are you Jesus?”
He stopped in mid-stride flabbergasted and embarrassed at the question.
He slowly turned back and said, “No … in reality, I am nothing like Jesus. He is good, kind, caring, loving, and would never have destroyed your display in the first place only to run away.
The girl gently nodded.
“I only asked because I prayed for Jesus to help me gather the apples, and suddenly … there you were. He must have sent you then to help me. Thank you for listening to Jesus, Mister.”
He moved back toward her, softly placed his hand upon her head, bade her farewell, and slowly made his way to catch a later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul. He couldn’t stop hearing the echo of that young girl’s voice over and over again in his mind: “Are you Jesus?”
Soooo. Has anyone ever mistaken you for Jesus because of a touch of kindness that came directly from you to them?
That’s our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus, to make such a difference in someone’s world, that they are sure they caught a glimpse of Him in you.
Have we ever interacted with a person in need in such a way that they could not tell the difference between us and the presence of Jesus?
As we live and interact with a world that hopes with all they are that there really is a Jesus, will they come face to face with His reality because they have come face to face with you?
Just think. Most of the world will never experience His genuine love, life and grace—unless they encounter it, and Him, through us.
How might it change the way you live to be reminded that you may be the only Jesus a person will ever meet on their journey through life?
Just a thought.
