I was out for my daily neighborhood walk this morning.  As I was trekking along on the sidewalk, I saw an older man walking toward me from the opposite direction.  I don’t know his name, but I’ll call him Joe.  Joe looked like he was in his late 70’s or early 80’s.  He had some physical problems.  His legs were kind of crooked and he struggled as he limped down the concrete walkway.  His arms were bent at his elbows and his hands were formed into fists and held just below his shoulders.  His neck was tipped and every time he took a step with his left foot, his head turned to the left with a tick.  However, as Joe struggled to walk down the sidewalk, he grinned from ear to ear.

As I started to walk past him, I could see that the lawn sprinklers were watering the sidewalk at the house that we were passing.

I greeted him and said jokingly, “Hi!  Be careful, or you’ll get wet.”

He smiled and said, “It’s just a physical wet.”

I thought I heard him wrong so I stopped and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you well.”  I could tell it was very hard for him to speak.

He repeated, “It’s just a physical wet.  We can be spiritually wet.  Jesus’ body poured out blood and water when He was crucified for our sins.  He died for us.  Have you met Jesus?”

I smiled and replied, “You must be a Christian.  So am I.”

“My favorite verse is John 3:16,” he replied.

I quoted the verse to him.  “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The old gentleman grinned at me and continued to testify to me about the love of God.  As he continued talking, his dentures suddenly fell out.  He wiggled them back in place with his curled hand and grinned at me, and we then continued our conversation.  After finishing our chat, we shook hands and each of us continued on our way.

What a man!  Even though he was suffering with many difficult physical issues, the first thing that came from his mouth was the love he felt for Christ.  His testimony of what Christ had done in his life was first and foremost in his mind and heart.

What a witness for Christ.  What an example for me.  Even though his body was old, worn and broken, he still praised God.

If only I could be so bold.  If only I could share as confidently what Christ has done for me.

Epilogue:

I was sitting in a Dr.’s office waiting room while I was typing this story on my laptop computer.  As I was typing, a mother and her daughter came in and sat down beside me.  The chairs were so close, we were sitting elbow to elbow.

As I continued to type, I felt that they were reading the story as I wrote it.  It was hard not to read the screen because we were sitting right beside each other.  So, when I typed the part about Joe’s dentures falling out, they both started laughing.  Then I knew they were reading it.  They received the whole gospel in just these few words!

Joe, you just reached two more people for Christ!  You planted a seed.  They read about Christ dying for our sins.  They also read the verse John 3:16.  Who knows who these ladies will tell next.  God works in the strangest ways!

By Marsha Hood