Our Turn
Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 6:08 pmI read this and wanted to share ...
I was heading to the East Coast and I had a layover in Knoxville. Because I was changing from a large airplane to a small one, I was in a large room with several exits to airplanes out each door. The room was filled with people waiting to get on the smaller planes.
I had about an hour to wait and was sitting with my Bible on my lap, trying to memorize John chapter 1.
I had worked on memorizing it before and had found that the best way to memorize is to read something out loud and then stare out the window and then say it from memory. I got to a place in John 1 where I stumbled and the woman next to me filled in the line. I realized that she had heard it so many times that she was memorizing it as well.
I had had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I had the book on my lap and was very intent on what I was doing when I noticed the people that were sitting in front of me. I saw that their attention suddenly had gone over my shoulder and they were staring at something, and I could tell from their expressions it was something horrifying.
What in the world is going on behind me? I thought. I wanted to look so badly, but I didn't want to be obvious. I had to wait for that proper moment, not when everyone else was looking, but for my chance to look. So I was still trying to stare at my Bible, but I was checking them out, thinking, Whatever's going on ... it's a good one.
In just a few minutes I could see activity over my left shoulder. Finally, I glanced over my shoulder out the corner of my eye. I saw a sight I will never forget.
It was an airline hostess pushing a wheelchair with an old man that looked like he could not be less than 127 years old. I have never seen a human being look that old and that weary and that drawn. I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange figure. He was humped over in the wheelchair. He was the skinniest man I had ever seen and his knees were protruding from his trousers. his shoulders looked like he still had his coat hanger in his shirt. His hands were veins and bones. But the strangest part of it was that his gray hair was about to the middle of his back. His fingernails were at least as long as mine -- not painted, thank goodness, but they were long.
I put down my Bible and thought, I wonder what's wrong with that man? I was trying to read the Word to keep from seeing what God was trying to show me. I was staring down at that book because I'd rather be preoccupied right here than to touch it out there! I was looking down at the Bible and my heart was overwhelmed. I already knew and was beginning to resist because I could feel God pulling on my spirit and working on my heart. I was being moved toward that man.
I thought, "Oh no, God. Please no." I began to argue with God in my mind. I was thinking to myself and looking up at God. "Please, I know what's going on here. You want me to witness to this man, don't You? God, please don't make me witness to this man. Please, I'll do anything. I'll witness to him there, but don't make me get up here and go witness to this man."
I don't have a problem witnessing -- sharing the gospel with someone. I love doing that. But he was a peculiar-looking man and everyone was looking at the peculiar-looking man. As I was staring down, trying to keep my concentration on the Word and trying to have this argument with God, I felt Him move upon my heart. When I say God spoke to me, it wasn't audible -- it was in my heart. I always know it's God it it's consistent with His Word, I'm in the spirit, and it's out in left field. I'm still thinking, "God, please don't make me witness to this man. Not now! I'll do it on the plane, if You'll put us on the same plane."
God spoke as clearly in my spirit as I would talk to you. "I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair."
I dropped my chin, looked back up at God, and said, "I want You to know I am ready to witness to this man. I am on this man, Lord! You have never seen a woman witness to a man faster. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess or not if he is not redeemed? I am on this man."
"That's not what I said, Beth. I do not want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair."
I looked up at God and thought, Well, I don't have a hairbrush. I mean, I spray my hair and that's it!
But as I started walking, I could hear Him saying, "I will thoroughly furnish you in all your works."
I walked up to the man and knelt in front of him and I whispered, "Sir ... may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"
He looked back up at me and said, "What'd you say?"
"May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" I spoke a little louder.
He said, "Little lady, if you want me to hear you, you're gonna have to speak a little louder than that."
So I said, "Sir, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?" At this point every eye in the airport turned straight into my face. I could feel my face turn crimson; it was burning.
He looked up at me with absolute shock and said, "If you really want to."
I thought, No, I don't want to ... I don't want to, but I replied, "Yes sir. I would be so pleased, but I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush."
He said, "I have one in my bag."
I went around to the back of that wheelchair and I got down on my hands and knees, and began lifting out undershirts and pajamas. I finally came to the bottom of the bag and found the hairbrush. I stood up and started brushing his hair. It was clean, but it was tangled into mats. But I had experience and I began brushing at the bottom.
A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing his hair. Everybody else in that place disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and brushed until every tangle was out of his hair. I walked around him and put my hands on his knees and got down on my knees in front of him. I said, "Sir, do you know Jesus?"
He said, "Yes I do. That figures ... that figures. I've known him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior. See the problem is I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself 'What a mess I must be for my bride.'"
I'll never forget it. Soon the airline hostess came to get him and we said our good-byes. Sadly, we were not on the same plane and I wish we had been. I was very ashamed of how I had acted. The stewardess rolled him onto that plane, and I still had a few minutes to wait. When she came out, tears were streaming down her cheeks.
She said, "That old man sitting in the plane is sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?"
I said, "Do you know Jesus? He's the bossiest thing!" I was able to share the gospel with her.
I learned something that day that I will never forget. He knows if you're exhausted, if you're hungry, if you're serving in the wrong place, if it's time to move on, or if you just need your hair brushed. God knows your need. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need.
By Beth Moore
Wash their feet, Brush their hair, Help em get clean ...
Sounds a LOT like what God did/does for us.
IF you ever get tired of dealing with em ... Ask YOU this.
Would you want God to get tired of dealing with YOU?
Will YOU continue to show this UNCONDITIONAL LOVE for HIS "dirty" children?
YOUR TURN ...
Luv all of ya
I was heading to the East Coast and I had a layover in Knoxville. Because I was changing from a large airplane to a small one, I was in a large room with several exits to airplanes out each door. The room was filled with people waiting to get on the smaller planes.
I had about an hour to wait and was sitting with my Bible on my lap, trying to memorize John chapter 1.
I had worked on memorizing it before and had found that the best way to memorize is to read something out loud and then stare out the window and then say it from memory. I got to a place in John 1 where I stumbled and the woman next to me filled in the line. I realized that she had heard it so many times that she was memorizing it as well.
I had had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I had the book on my lap and was very intent on what I was doing when I noticed the people that were sitting in front of me. I saw that their attention suddenly had gone over my shoulder and they were staring at something, and I could tell from their expressions it was something horrifying.
What in the world is going on behind me? I thought. I wanted to look so badly, but I didn't want to be obvious. I had to wait for that proper moment, not when everyone else was looking, but for my chance to look. So I was still trying to stare at my Bible, but I was checking them out, thinking, Whatever's going on ... it's a good one.
In just a few minutes I could see activity over my left shoulder. Finally, I glanced over my shoulder out the corner of my eye. I saw a sight I will never forget.
It was an airline hostess pushing a wheelchair with an old man that looked like he could not be less than 127 years old. I have never seen a human being look that old and that weary and that drawn. I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange figure. He was humped over in the wheelchair. He was the skinniest man I had ever seen and his knees were protruding from his trousers. his shoulders looked like he still had his coat hanger in his shirt. His hands were veins and bones. But the strangest part of it was that his gray hair was about to the middle of his back. His fingernails were at least as long as mine -- not painted, thank goodness, but they were long.
I put down my Bible and thought, I wonder what's wrong with that man? I was trying to read the Word to keep from seeing what God was trying to show me. I was staring down at that book because I'd rather be preoccupied right here than to touch it out there! I was looking down at the Bible and my heart was overwhelmed. I already knew and was beginning to resist because I could feel God pulling on my spirit and working on my heart. I was being moved toward that man.
I thought, "Oh no, God. Please no." I began to argue with God in my mind. I was thinking to myself and looking up at God. "Please, I know what's going on here. You want me to witness to this man, don't You? God, please don't make me witness to this man. Please, I'll do anything. I'll witness to him there, but don't make me get up here and go witness to this man."
I don't have a problem witnessing -- sharing the gospel with someone. I love doing that. But he was a peculiar-looking man and everyone was looking at the peculiar-looking man. As I was staring down, trying to keep my concentration on the Word and trying to have this argument with God, I felt Him move upon my heart. When I say God spoke to me, it wasn't audible -- it was in my heart. I always know it's God it it's consistent with His Word, I'm in the spirit, and it's out in left field. I'm still thinking, "God, please don't make me witness to this man. Not now! I'll do it on the plane, if You'll put us on the same plane."
God spoke as clearly in my spirit as I would talk to you. "I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair."
I dropped my chin, looked back up at God, and said, "I want You to know I am ready to witness to this man. I am on this man, Lord! You have never seen a woman witness to a man faster. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess or not if he is not redeemed? I am on this man."
"That's not what I said, Beth. I do not want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair."
I looked up at God and thought, Well, I don't have a hairbrush. I mean, I spray my hair and that's it!
But as I started walking, I could hear Him saying, "I will thoroughly furnish you in all your works."
I walked up to the man and knelt in front of him and I whispered, "Sir ... may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"
He looked back up at me and said, "What'd you say?"
"May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" I spoke a little louder.
He said, "Little lady, if you want me to hear you, you're gonna have to speak a little louder than that."
So I said, "Sir, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?" At this point every eye in the airport turned straight into my face. I could feel my face turn crimson; it was burning.
He looked up at me with absolute shock and said, "If you really want to."
I thought, No, I don't want to ... I don't want to, but I replied, "Yes sir. I would be so pleased, but I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush."
He said, "I have one in my bag."
I went around to the back of that wheelchair and I got down on my hands and knees, and began lifting out undershirts and pajamas. I finally came to the bottom of the bag and found the hairbrush. I stood up and started brushing his hair. It was clean, but it was tangled into mats. But I had experience and I began brushing at the bottom.
A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing his hair. Everybody else in that place disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and brushed until every tangle was out of his hair. I walked around him and put my hands on his knees and got down on my knees in front of him. I said, "Sir, do you know Jesus?"
He said, "Yes I do. That figures ... that figures. I've known him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior. See the problem is I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself 'What a mess I must be for my bride.'"
I'll never forget it. Soon the airline hostess came to get him and we said our good-byes. Sadly, we were not on the same plane and I wish we had been. I was very ashamed of how I had acted. The stewardess rolled him onto that plane, and I still had a few minutes to wait. When she came out, tears were streaming down her cheeks.
She said, "That old man sitting in the plane is sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?"
I said, "Do you know Jesus? He's the bossiest thing!" I was able to share the gospel with her.
I learned something that day that I will never forget. He knows if you're exhausted, if you're hungry, if you're serving in the wrong place, if it's time to move on, or if you just need your hair brushed. God knows your need. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need.
By Beth Moore
Wash their feet, Brush their hair, Help em get clean ...
Sounds a LOT like what God did/does for us.
IF you ever get tired of dealing with em ... Ask YOU this.
Would you want God to get tired of dealing with YOU?
Will YOU continue to show this UNCONDITIONAL LOVE for HIS "dirty" children?
YOUR TURN ...
Luv all of ya
