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| The
Letter |
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 for
dinner."
She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. All she
could scrounge up was five dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can
get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and
hurried out the door. A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of
sliced turkey, and a carton of milk... leaving Ruth with grand
total of 21 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 out?" a voice echoed in the cold. 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 no
job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the
street awhile, 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 just a few cold cuts and some bread.
I'm having an important guest 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 a minute!" 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 it
over the woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked
back to the street...without her coat...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, and as
she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.
"That's odd, she thought to herself. The mailman doesn't usually
come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and
opened it. It read:
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...
--
Unknown |
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