The Message(09/24/10)
The other day I was walking through the grocery store when I happened upon a man who was walking with one crutch. He had long hair and was a little scruffy looking around the edges. As he came closer I noticed that he was sweating profusely, as if each step he took was a full workout for him. As I smiled at him I heard him say, “I hope that you have a great day, pretty lady.” Well, my first thought was, “Oh no… I do not need to be hit on by this man.” So I graciously accepted the compliment and wished him a good day as well, hoping that he would walk right by me. What he did next threw me for a loop. He stopped next to my cart, looked me square in the eye and said, “Do you know Jesus?” I answered, “Yes. Yes I do.” That sparked a conversation about the wonder of God. This man kept saying, “He’s great, isn’t He?!” When I agreed with him he said, “I’m not a smart enough man to use a better word than ‘great’. I just don’t know any other way to say it.” That’s when I said, “I think you’ve used exactly the right word.” At that point I saw the man close his eyes and grab my cart. He looked as if he was possibly having a heart attack or a stroke. I asked him if he was OK. No response. I asked him if I should call someone. Again, no response. I didn’t know what to do. Should I call 911? No cell signal. Should I call the manager of the store? I wanted to get someone, but I didn’t want to leave him in such a state. I stood seemingly paralyzed for just a moment; but before I got the chance to do anything, the man relaxed, opened his eyes, looked right at me and said, “I’m just grateful that God gave me another day.” From that point he wished me well and walked on to towards the registers. As I watched him walk away, I saw another customer ask him if he was OK. He responded with, “I’m just grateful that God gave me another day.” Then he said, “Sir, do you know Jesus?” After he was out of sight, I stood in that same spot for a moment. I was looking at applesauce and canned peaches for my daughter, but I wasn’t really paying that much attention to them. All I could think about was this man. I don’t know exactly what his problems are. I don’t know the pain that he has to deal with every day. But to him, those things don’t seem to matter. All that matters to him is whether or not the people he comes in contact with know Jesus. Regardless of whatever else is going on in his life, he knows what the most important thing is. He knows that his time on this earth is precious and fleeting, and that he shouldn’t waste a moment of it on anything other than showing the love of God through Jesus Christ. All of our lives get crazy at times. We all have a myriad of stuff we have to deal with every day. I, for one, am extremely grateful that God is there to help me through it all. What we all need to remember, however, is that in the midst of our mess, we can take a lesson from this man and not forget about the message.
“He said unto them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15, NIV)
The other day I was walking through the grocery store when I happened upon a man who was walking with one crutch. He had long hair and was a little scruffy looking around the edges. As he came closer I noticed that he was sweating profusely, as if each step he took was a full workout for him. As I smiled at him I heard him say, “I hope that you have a great day, pretty lady.” Well, my first thought was, “Oh no… I do not need to be hit on by this man.” So I graciously accepted the compliment and wished him a good day as well, hoping that he would walk right by me. What he did next threw me for a loop. He stopped next to my cart, looked me square in the eye and said, “Do you know Jesus?” I answered, “Yes. Yes I do.” That sparked a conversation about the wonder of God. This man kept saying, “He’s great, isn’t He?!” When I agreed with him he said, “I’m not a smart enough man to use a better word than ‘great’. I just don’t know any other way to say it.” That’s when I said, “I think you’ve used exactly the right word.” At that point I saw the man close his eyes and grab my cart. He looked as if he was possibly having a heart attack or a stroke. I asked him if he was OK. No response. I asked him if I should call someone. Again, no response. I didn’t know what to do. Should I call 911? No cell signal. Should I call the manager of the store? I wanted to get someone, but I didn’t want to leave him in such a state. I stood seemingly paralyzed for just a moment; but before I got the chance to do anything, the man relaxed, opened his eyes, looked right at me and said, “I’m just grateful that God gave me another day.” From that point he wished me well and walked on to towards the registers. As I watched him walk away, I saw another customer ask him if he was OK. He responded with, “I’m just grateful that God gave me another day.” Then he said, “Sir, do you know Jesus?” After he was out of sight, I stood in that same spot for a moment. I was looking at applesauce and canned peaches for my daughter, but I wasn’t really paying that much attention to them. All I could think about was this man. I don’t know exactly what his problems are. I don’t know the pain that he has to deal with every day. But to him, those things don’t seem to matter. All that matters to him is whether or not the people he comes in contact with know Jesus. Regardless of whatever else is going on in his life, he knows what the most important thing is. He knows that his time on this earth is precious and fleeting, and that he shouldn’t waste a moment of it on anything other than showing the love of God through Jesus Christ. All of our lives get crazy at times. We all have a myriad of stuff we have to deal with every day. I, for one, am extremely grateful that God is there to help me through it all. What we all need to remember, however, is that in the midst of our mess, we can take a lesson from this man and not forget about the message.
“He said unto them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15, NIV)
No comments:
Post a Comment