Jimmy arrived at the food bank around 5pm and there was already a line of about 30 other homeless people. During his weekly visits to the food bank, Jimmy had met a wonderful older lady named Teresa. Teresa was in her 70's and came down every Thursday evening to help pass out food. She always smiled and hugged Jimmy when he came in. On most occasions Jimmy came more to see Teresa than he did for the meal itself. She was like a grandmother to him. She was always so kind and would often bring him a blanket, box of crackers, or a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper, which was Jimmy's favorite!
Finally, the doors opened and Jimmy was pushed inside by the crowd behind him. Like a herd of cattle they lined up and received their hot plates of food. But one thing was missing...tonight Teresa was no where to be found. It was then that Jimmy felt an arm touch his shoulder. Smiling, he whirled around thinking it was Teresa. Another familiar older lady named Beatrice bent down to Jimmy's height and struggled with a smile. "I'm sorry Jimmy." The women said, as wetness began to swirl up in her foggy eyes. "Teresa won't be coming here any longer. God called her home last night." Jimmy unconsciously dropped his plate. It was the only hot meal he would have for another week. He cried bitterly for the rest of that night.
* * *
Many years later Jimmy sat behind a polished wooden desk. Numerous certificates and accolades hung from his wall proving he was a well educated man. He was now the Executive Vice President of a large Fortune 200 Technology company. Jimmy or "Big Jim" as he was called across the enterprise, was known for getting teams to deliver on schedule regardless of how bad the situation was. Basically, he came in and "corrected" projects that were at risk of not meeting customer deadlines.
Today, he was getting ready to speak with one of his company's project managers. This particular young lady had been with the company for less than a year. More importantly, this particular software project she was managing was over budget, behind schedule, and the customer was very close to pulling the plug.
Big Jim was getting himself pumped up to put this lady in her place. His plan was to bombard her with several questions that she could not answer and then degrade every decision she had made on the project. Finally, he was going to fire her and take over the project himself. He had done it many times before and this time was going to be no different.
Big Jim motioned for the woman to come into his office. She sat down and smiled. Unlike many of the other times he'd done this, Big Jim noticed something strangely different in that smile that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"I'm Teresa, Teresa Myers, she said, extending her hand." Big Jim wasn't accustomed to his "victims" talking first and for the first time in many years he was caught a little off guard. Without even realizing what he was saying, he responded, "I'm Jimmy, errr I mean Jim. Call me Jim." He stated, trying to compose himself and remain in "Executive mode".
"Oh." Teresa replied with a smile. "My grandfathers name was Jimmy and I'm actually named after my grandmother." Jim tried to act interested and nodded as he took a drink of the Dr. Pepper can on his desk. "And wouldn't you know", she continued, pointing at his drink. "Dr. Pepper was her favorite drink also. She use to take 6 packs down the food bank every Thursday and give them to the orphans."
Instantly, Jim's body went numb. He slowly lowered the can (which now was shaking in his hand) and leaned forward. It took him several seconds to speak and Teresa patiently sat through the silence as he brought back a buried memory. When Jim finally composed himself, he looked Teresa square in the eye and said, "Let's see how the two of us can get this project back on track."
In this story, Big Jim is reminded of the kindness that the old woman (Teresa) gave to him each time he visited the local food bank. She didn't have to show him the kindness that she did, but without even knowing it she changed a young orphans life. After her death, it was then that Little Jimmy no longer had a desire to go to the food bank. Losing Teresa actually motivated him to get off the streets and make a better life for himself. Once Jim realized that he was speaking to Teresa's granddaughter, his heart was immediately flooded with compassion and he decided to help (and not fire) this young project manager.
If we look at Mark 10:35-45 James and John boldly ask Jesus to allow one of them to sit at His right hand and the other on His left in Heaven. Jesus clears up the "I want to be the greatest" attitude by saying...
whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:43-45
The Lesson:
The word "ministry" in the New Testament translates to mean "servanthood in the service of love". We might often find more joy in ministering to the needs of others rather than to our own. It may not be an immediate satisfaction, but you can be certain it will be felt by the person(s) on the receiving end.
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10
Ultimately, it would be very difficult to imagine a world without people like Teresa in it. Those who volunteer their time for the needs of the poor are favored in God's eyes. If the Lord Jesus Christ came to serve others, then what should our role be towards one other?
In the end, Jim learned that we all become great in God's eyes when we help other people become greater than ourselves.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
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