Jeremy L. Berg

I received this story by email. A good challenge.

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales conventionin Chicago . They had assured their wives that they would be home inplenty of time for Friday night’s dinner.

In their rush, with ticketsand briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a tablewhich held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for theirnearly missed boarding.

ALL BUT ONE ! He paused, took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge ofcompassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of themto call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explainhis taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where theapples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tearsrunning down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplesslygroping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no onestopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put themback on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, henoticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he setaside 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?’ Shenodded through her tears. He continued on with, ‘I hope we didn’t spoilyour day too badly.’

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called outto him, ‘Mister….’ he paused and turned to look back into those blindeyes. she continued, ‘Are you Jesus?’

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way tocatch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about inhis soul: ‘Are you Jesus?’

Do people mistake you for Jesus?

That’s our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that peoplecannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that isblind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we shouldlive, 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 afall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hillcalled Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.