Copied from Ben Carson's Facebook wall.
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a week's regional sales convention in New York.
At the John F. Kennedy International Airport, and in their rush, with tickets and briefcases to return to Texas, one of these salesmen accidentally knocked 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 the flight.
➖➖➖
One of them however paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings and experienced compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
He told his friends to go on without him. He told one of them to call his wife when they arrived in Nairobi and explain he was to take a later flight.
Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the 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.
At the same time she was helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd watched and passed by; no one stopping and with no one caring 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 $100/- 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 walked back to look into those blind eyes. She continued; "Are you Jesus?"
He stopped in mid-stride... and wondered.
He gently 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..."
➖➖➖
Slowly and in deep thought, 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 as Christians, isn't it?
➖➖➖
We need 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.
➖➖➖
(Let HIS words ring)
"...I have given you
an example..."
➖➖➖
If we claim to know
Him, we should
live,
walk
and
act as
HE would.
[Micah 6:8]
➖➖➖
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
you and me up,
on a hill called
Calvary and paid
in full for our
damaged fruit.
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a week's regional sales convention in New York.
At the John F. Kennedy International Airport, and in their rush, with tickets and briefcases to return to Texas, one of these salesmen accidentally knocked 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 the flight.
➖➖➖
One of them however paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings and experienced compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
He told his friends to go on without him. He told one of them to call his wife when they arrived in Nairobi and explain he was to take a later flight.
Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the 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.
At the same time she was helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd watched and passed by; no one stopping and with no one caring 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 $100/- 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 walked back to look into those blind eyes. She continued; "Are you Jesus?"
He stopped in mid-stride... and wondered.
He gently 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..."
➖➖➖
Slowly and in deep thought, 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 as Christians, isn't it?
➖➖➖
We need 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.
➖➖➖
(Let HIS words ring)
"...I have given you
an example..."
➖➖➖
If we claim to know
Him, we should
live,
walk
and
act as
HE would.
[Micah 6:8]
➖➖➖
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
you and me up,
on a hill called
Calvary and paid
in full for our
damaged fruit.
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