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The author of this story is anonymous, but the message is great, so I want to share it with you. Be sure to read to the end for a powerful conclusion. Enjoy 🙂 The last class I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called, ‘Smile.’
The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought this would be a piece of cake, Literally.
Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald’s one crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did.
I did not move an inch… An overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved. As I turned around I smelled a horrible ‘dirty body’ smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.
As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was ‘smiling’. His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God’s Light as he searched for acceptance….
He said, ‘Good day’ as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation. I held my tears as I stood there with them.
The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, ‘Coffee is all Miss’ because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).
Then I really felt it – the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action.
I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand.
He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, ‘Thank you..’
I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, ‘I did not do this for you.. God is here working through me to give you hope.’ I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son….
When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, ‘That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope..’ We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give.
We are not church goers, but we are believers. That day showed me the pure Light of God’s sweet love. I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.
I turned in ‘my project’ and the instructor read it. Then she looked up at me and said, ‘Can I share this?’I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.
She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed. In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald’s, my son, the instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student.
I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: The importance of unconditional love and acceptance. Someone’s religion, politics, income, neighborhood, social standing, career, and similar other artificial measures are utterly unimportant.
Quote:In the words of C. S. Lewis
It is a serious thing, to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only a nightmare.
All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no “ordinary” people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.
This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously—no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner—no mere tolerance or indulgence [of the sin].
Immortal horrors or everlasting splendors!
Beautiful and powerful. I believe strongly that seeing every person (especially the powerless and marginalized) as a child of God who is worth knowing and loving, and spending eternity with them once the shackles of mortality are removed, is the heart of the Gospel.
In principle, I believe every person is a child of God, but in practice, I’m afraid I only superficially help the unsavory folks. Perhaps I will donate a few dollars, may even buy a hamburger for a homeless person, (as in the story) or smile kindly to someone who is deranged, but never know how to make a significant difference in his life. Or perhaps I may know, but I’m unwilling to be that involved. We are counciled to not run faster than we are able, but I’d be interested to hear comments from other folks feel about how far they will extend themselves to the less fortunate.
I personally believe that if this life is really a test, then examples like this are the question that really count. God probably doesn’t really care if the lady read her scriptures that morning but the test at the McDonalds would be the one God would pay attention to. Quote:church0333
Personally believe that if this life is really a test, then examples like this are the question that really count. God probably doesn’t really care if the lady read her scriptures that morning but the test at the McDonalds would be the one God would pay attention to.
AmenHere are some scriptures suggesting that how we treat our fellowmen is more important than most anything else, except possibly, loving God. IMO, I think a compassionate caring atheist will do better at the judgement bar than a mediocre Mormon who does religion by the numbers, but gives little thought to helping his neighbor. Quote:(Mosiah 2:17)
And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.
Quote:(Matt. 25:34)
“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Quote:(Luke 10:27)
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”
Quote:(Matt. 19:21)
“If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”
Quote:(Matthew 22:36-40)
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
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