Are you Jesus?

I received a forwarded story from my step-mom, a few years ago, and came across it today while I was searching for something else in my email archives.

It's a good story for this season. I don't know if it's true. I've re-written it, so it doesn't read quite so spam/cheesy.  It has a good little ping! of inspiration to be a better witness of Christ.

It ping!ed me because I'm a big talker: I tell people my ideas about the scriptures and church. But this story made me think about whether I'm truly an example of a believer--are my actions reflections of the Savior? I hope it inspires you to share a little more kindness and have a little more patience, that's what it did for me.

Here's my slightly-adapted version of the tale:


A few years ago a group of salesmen traveled to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would arrive home well before Friday night dinner. What with traffic and checking-in, they fell behind schedule and the pack of men began to sprint toward their gates to catch their flights.

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 nearly-missed boarding.

All but one.
He paused, took a deep breath and felt a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He waved his buddies to go on without him, "Call my wife and tell her I'll be on the next flight."
He turned around and returned to the apple-strewn terminal.

The young girl was on her knees, groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her; no one stopped. People hardly noticed her, apples were kicked further from her reach.

As the salesman knelt near her to apologize, he was surprised to realize the girl was blind. Tears ran down her cheeks in frustration.

He didn't know what to say. He was so glad he had come back.

Kneeling on the floor in his suit, he began picking up apples and placing them in the girls hands. Her brow furrowed for a moment, and then she scooped herself up, arranged the apples in one of her several baskets, and then timidly reached her hands out for more.

He gathered up all the apples, handing them to her as she organized her display table. As he did this, he noticed that many of them were battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he finished, he pulled out his wallet and pressed two twenty-dollar bills into her hands. "Here," he said, "please take this for the damage we did. Are you okay?"

The girl nodded and took a hiccup-ish breath, holding the money with both hands, face turned up toward the man.

"I hope we didn't spoil  your day too badly," he picked up his brieface and started to walk away.

The bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister!"
He paused and looked back at her.
She asked, "Are you Jesus?"
Her question shocked him. He stood and watched her as she smiled to herself, folded the money away, and busied herself with her stand again.

Then he slowly walked away to arrange a later flight.

The question stuck in his mind, "Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus?