Don’t Judge a Book..........

But He Looked Like A Christian.

One day after doing my nine hours at work I went outside to get in my minivan to go home. I was extra tired that day because I had worked hard *y'all. I got in my van and drove off, well before I could get out of the parking lot good, I noticed a man yelling in my direction. I rolled my window down and said “May I help you?” He said “You have a flat tire.” Surprised I said “Really? I didn’t notice.” He said “You didn’t feel one side of the van leaning?” I said “No.” So I got out of the van and looked at the tire. It was flatter than a pancake.I couldn’t believe that I hadn't noticed. I then said “Oh no!” Well he then said “I got something in my car that will help you out.” He went over to his car which was a big beige Lincoln Navigator with all of the fixings. I really wasn’t paying attention to his car, I was looking at the fish symbol on the back of it, and the cross hanging from the mirror. I immediately thought this is a Christian man. Thank you Lord for sending me help. Well as I was waiting and thanking this man in my mind he came back over to my van and said “Uh, are you going to get someone to help you out with that?” I thought to myself You just said that you had something to help me out in your car. Also, while I was thinking this, I noticed that he had an ornament on his necklace shaped in the form of a cross. Well two things immediately came to mind 1) this man has severe amnesia and forgets everything that he says within five minutes of eachother,or 2) he wanted to help but he remembered that he had on some nice slacks and shirt and didn’t want to get his hands dirty. 3) he didn’t feel that he would benefit any from helping me out. Well I looked him in his eyes and said “Yes, I think I can find someone to help, thank you for your help.” In my mind I was thinking Thank you for pointing out the problem. He got back in his SUV and sped off with his Gospel music blasting.
Afterwards, I sat there in the parking lot for about five minutes and thought What do I do Lord? I have to pick the girls up from daycare before 6:00 and it was 5:30. Well before I sat there and a had a pity party, I got out of my car and ran back upstairs to my office and noticed one of the guys in my office at his computer. I said “Can someone please help me change a flat tire? I have to go get my girls before six. He immediately said “Okay.” He and another co-worker who had just came in, also followed me outside and removed the flat tire and put on the spare tire. As they were changing my tire I was thinking about how they got themselves dirty (because the tire was dirty) on my behalf. I never would have thought they would have helped me. When they finished, they told me to go get the tire sealed because it was still usable. I thanked them many times and got in my van and went to get my kids. I also went and got the tire patched up.
My mind was going a hundred miles an hour thinking about how the guy with the fish on his car, cross on his mirror, and the cross on his neck would not help me but he pointed out the problem. This made me think about all the many outward Christianity signs people advertise on them or their cars. In that moment I realized that many of them really do, do it just for ‘show.” They wanted to look the part. Because if that guy with the fish on his car knew what the fish meant he would have helped me or anyone else that needed it ,because Jesus tells us to help each other and not expect anything in return.
Well, anyway I went to a local store and personally selected two Thank You cards for the two guys who had helped me out and sat them on their desk Monday morning. One of them after reading the card asked me what it for was. I looked at him and said “For helping me out the other day.” He looked a lil’shocked and said “It was really no problem.” Well when he left my desk I immediately thought, “There was a problem because I judged a book by its cover, because if someone would have asked me to pick the one that you least expected to help you when you needed them I would have sadly chosen him, because he didn’t look the part. This was truly a wake up call for me. From now on I will do my best to not judge others based on outside appearances. I will look at their Spirits because on Judgment day, that is what the Lord will judge us on.


Be Blessed *Y'all.