My wife recently told me while she was at work she listens to the radio most of the time. Rather, she has the radio on while she works, usually for white noise which helps her to concentrate on her work. However, sometimes there are songs on the station she listens to that really catches her attention and really speak to her. One such song is called “Jesus in Disguise.” We have no idea who performs it but the words of the song have really caught our attention and has spoken to us as we have thought about it. We’ve been thinking about how many times have we just passed an angel, or even our Lord, and how many times we missed a blessing because we had our minds on other things.
It’s kind of a running joke with the family because when my wife is driving she concentrates on just driving.
We may say, “Did you see that?” She replies, “No, I’m busy driving.” She has always been this way; when she is driving, she doesn’t look around at the scenery or who is in the car next to her. She doesn’t talk on the phone because she (as should we all) realizes that a car is at least a 2,000 pound or more weapon and can cause an incredible amount of damage in a very short time of inattention.
The Bible speaks about entertaining angels unaware (Hebrews 13:2) and Jesus himself walked with some of his followers after His resurrection and they did not recognize Him (Luke 24:13-16).
In Matthew 25, Jesus speaks of separating the sheep from the goats; the goats on the left hand and the sheep on the right hand, equating how we treat each other with how we treat Him.
While we were talking about this she told me about how recently she was on her way home and was just getting ready to turn off on the dirt road we live on and saw a lady about her age walking on the pavement. It was really hot and she thought, “I wonder where she is going and why is she walking on such a hot day?” She was wearing scrubs and was walking like she was reallytired was the first thing she noticed, which was strange considering her usual total focus on the road while driving. The second thing was she empathized with her because it was so hot and so it got her attention.
So, she turned around and asked her if she needed a ride and ended up taking her several miles from where our turn off is. She said the woman was not very talkative and did not tell my wife her name and did not let her take her all the way home. My wife asked her if she needed her to come and get her in the mornings and she said she had had some bad experiences with people letting her down and did not want to depend on anyone. So, my wife dropped her off where the woman wanted and came on home and has never seen her again.
Was she an angel? Probably not, but she certainly was a person who at the time had a need that could be met with just a little effort on my wife’s part. Sometimes it may be nothing more than giving just a little larger tip to our waiter or waitress and sometimes it’s just a hug given at the right time.
Sometimes it’s baby-sitting for a frazzled mom or giving someone a ride to town or to visit their family in a hospital, or visiting a friend in the hospital or nursing home.
Sometimes it’s just lending a listening ear.
We can’t get past it - the song “Jesus in Disguise.” Jesus said if we have done it to the least of these, we have done it to Him, and if we have done it not to the least of these, we have done it not to Him. Wow.
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Editor’s note: Charlie Newman is pastor of Avoca Christian Church. To contact him, e-mail pastor@pastorcharlie.
net, or write in care of The Times at [email protected] or P.O. Box 25, Pea Ridge, AR 72751.
Church, Pages 2 on 11/07/2012