I was having lunch the other day with Matt at our favorite place to grab a bite and have a deep conversation: Sharky's. As we ate and talked, a mentally challenged young man made his way to our table... numerous times.I knew the young man, so he just nodded and smiled at me each time he came to our table.
But not knowing Matt, the young man introduced himself and asked Matt's name each time he visited our table. And after each introduction, he would stick out his hand in order to gain a handshake from Matt.
This happened four times over the course of an hour. And each time Matt looked the young man in the eye, smiled, introduced himself, and shook hands.
No sarcastic comments, no put-downs, no "go away, kid, you're bothering me"... just kindness. My friend Matt graciously extended kindness and respect.
Near the end of our lunch, Matt commented to me that he struggled at times with feelings that he wasn't a great example for Jesus. He was concerned if his life expressed that he was a follower of Jesus.
I smiled at Matt... and let him know that four times over the past hour he had radiated the love, example and compassion of Jesus to me by the way he responded to the young man who repeatedly visited our table.
And what struck me me was that Matt hadn't noticed the grace and kindness that he had extended... but he had zeroed in on what he perceived to be his shortcomings in living for Jesus.
Another God lesson learned at Sharky's... even when we think we're not getting it, God through His Spirit reveals that He is at work in us. And that our nature can and does become more like the nature of Jesus... even though we may not realize that change is, and continues, taking place in our lives.
Thanks, Matt, for showing me Jesus.
There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. Philippians 1:6, The Message
