The
Mail Box
Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter.
She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked
at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her
name and address. She read the letter:
Dear Ruth,
I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd
like to stop by for a visit.
Love Always, Jesus
Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on
the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special.
I don't have anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered
her empty kitchen cabinets. "Oh my goodness, I really don't have
anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something
fordinner." She reached for her purse and counted out its contents.
Five dollars and fortycents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold
cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.
A loaf of frenchbread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton
of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total of twelve cents to last
her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home,
her meager offerings tucked under her arm. "Hey lady, can you help
us, lady?" Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't
even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman,
both of them dressed in little more than rags "Look lady, I ain't
got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here
on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting
kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we'd really
appreciate it."
Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled
bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of
work if they really wanted to. "Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm
a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread,
and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning
on serving that to Him."
"Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway."
The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed
back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar
twinge in her heart. "Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned
as she ran down the alley after them. "Look, why don't you take
this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest." She
handed the man her grocery bag. "Thank you lady. Thank you very
much!" "Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see
now that she was shivering. "You know, I've got another coat at
home. Here, why don't you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket
and slipped itover the woman's shoulders.Then smiling, she turned
and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing
to serve her guest. "Thank you lady! Thank you very much!"
Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front
door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't
have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the
door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.
"That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day."
She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.
Dear Ruth,
It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal .
And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always Jesus
The air was still cold, but even without her coat,
Ruth no longer noticed.
Do you look for the opportunities
that God gives you to share the Love of Jesus????
Pray that God will open your
spiritual eyes and Heart to the needs of those around you.
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