Excuse me, are you jesus? A group of salesman was returning from Chicago where they had attended a regional sales convention. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner.
In their rush, with tickets and briefcases in hand, one of the salesmen inadvertently knocked over a table, which held a display of apples. Apples rolled everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the boarding gate to their plane on time . . . all except one. He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose table one of them knocked over. He hollered to his buddies to call his wife when they return home and explain to her what had happened and that he would catch the next flight out. Then he returned to the terminal where all the apples were strewn over the 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 crowds swirled about her, no one stopping, and no one to care 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 $40.00 for the damage we did. Are you okay?” She nodded yes through her tears. He continued on with, “I hope we didn’t spoil your day to badly. . .” As the salesman walked away, the bewildered girl called out to him, “Mister”, he paused and turned to look into those blind eyes. She continued, “Are you Jesus?” He stopped in mid-stride, and wondered. Then slowly made his way to catch the next flight home with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: “Are you Jesus?” Do people mistake you for Jesus? That is our destiny, is it not? 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. If we claim to know him, them we should live, walk and act as he would. Knowing him is more than just 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 a fall. Jesus stopped what he was doing and picked up you and me on a hill called Calvary. Then he paid in full for the damaged fruit. Sometimes we take things for granted when we ought to be sharing the things we know. is “he” in your life 24 / 7 ? howard g. guetherman |
Thoughts From Your President 
