I'm not sure who made the quote but it is historically true. A beautiful young girl stands at the precipice of her future. The beauty of her future rolls in front of her like a lush garden. All the education is in place, all the business colleagues point the way to success, she is beautiful, she is talented and she is on her way. All she needs is to take one step into the lush green grass and the world of success will bow at her feet. In a moment of vulnerability she is beckoned by an unscrupulous man. She loses focus and turns for what she thinks will only be a passing thought. Unfortunately she is derailed by unwanted passion and an unwanted child.
A young man runs a tough race. He is not one of the elite yet he is strong and determined. He runs past drugs and around ignorance. He studies hard, works hard and finds favor. Just before he gets to the end of this race, he is cheated. Cheated by someone he trusts and belittled by someone he loves. In a moment of deep despair he gives in to drinking, not knowing that the drive home will end his race forever.
We must never let our guard down. Life is not an endless list of tasks divided by moments of comfort and ease. Life is a daily choice determined moment by moment by the decisions we make. Relationships are determined by conversation. Job opportunities are determined by choices we made at college. Evangelism is determined by our love for others. Think of the decisions you make everyday and diagram their outcomes. Concentrate on the little decisions. Was it really necessary to make little Davey wear the blue outfit rather than the green one? How did that make him feel? Would he have had a better day if only he could have worn his favorite? What about the salesgirl at the store, did you make her day better when you fussed about how long she was taking? Was she sick? Was there some problem at home? How did you change her life?
A dear friend of mine sent me this e-mail yesterday. It's a powerful story of how we change lives with simple decisions. I encourage you to make a difference in your life with your "snippets of Greatness".
Are you Jesus?
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. 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, 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 flight.
All but one! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife and explain that he was taking a later flight. He returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal 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, she helplessly groped for her spilled produce. The crowd 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 and put them back on the table as he organized her display. He set the battered and bruised apples to the side in another basket. When he finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 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, "Mister..." He paused and turned to look into that innocent face, "Mister...Are you Jesus?"
Thank you Pastor Wilburn Fisher for sending this.
What will be your snippet of greatness today. You may not think it's much, but even the smallest decision can make a difference in another person's life.
God loves you,
Debbie
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