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Several years ago a group of computer salesmen from Milwaukee went to a regional sales convention in Chicago.  They assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for dinner.  But with one thing or another, the meeting ran overtime; so, the men had to race to the station, tickets in hand.  As they ran through the terminal, one man inadvertently kicked over a table supporting a basket of apples.  Without stopping they all reached the train and boarded it with a sign of relief.  All but one. He paused, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of sympathy for the boy whose apple stand had been overturned.  He waved goodbye to his companions and returned to the terminal.  He was glad he did.  The ten-year-old boy was blind.

The salesman gathered up the apples and noticed that several of them were bruised.  He reached into his wallet and said to the boy, “Here, please take this twenty dollars for the damage we did.  I hope it didn’t spoil your day.”

As he started to walk away the bewildered boy called after him, “Are you Jesus?”

The man stopped in his tracks.  And he wondered.

I wonder what he wondered.  Maybe he wondered about his life and what is really important?  Perhaps, he dimly perceived the incident as a summary of his life.  Was he running?  Running all the time—running to get this done and running to get that done.  Maybe he wondered how many other individuals he had hurt or ignored as he rushed about doing his thing? Maybe he heard again and again the boy’s question, “Are you Jesus?” and realized that he was running too fast to reflect Jesus’ Way of love and care.  Are we running too fast to see a person who is suffering along our path?

Dear Lord:  Help us to slow down and to see those along our path who need your love and our love.  Amen.