Loving Fervently

Loving Fervently
1 Peter 1:17-25


Show love to others.


One snowy winter day, neighbor Joe was driving home down an old country road after spending the day looking for work. He almost didn't notice the old lady stranded on the side of the road.


Joe jumped out of his beat-up old car and approached the woman in her Mercedes. He could tell she was frightened. He smiles at the woman and spoke reassuringly to her. "I'm here to help you m'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm. By the way, my name is Joe."


Joe quickly changed the woman's flat tire, skinning his knuckles and getting dirty as he worked. When he had finished, the woman asked, "How much do I owe you?" Any amount would have been okay with her. She had already imagined some of the awful things that could have happened to her if Joe hadn't stopped to help.


Joe was surprised--take money for helping? No, that wouldn't be right. People had helped him in the past and he was happy to help someone else in need. "No, m'am, you don't owe me nothin'. But if you really want to pay me back, the next time you meet someone in need, you give that person a helping hand...and think of me." The woman agreed and drove off.


Joe watched while she started her car and pulled back onto the road. The day had been cold and depressing, but he felt good as he headed home.


In the meantime the woman decided to get something to eat and pulled into a diner not far down the road.


A waitress came over and gave her a towel so she could wipe her snow-wet hair. The waitress had a sweet-smile even after she had stood on her feet all day. The woman noticed that the waitress was at least eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger--and then she thought of Joe. She began scribbling on her napkin.


When she had finished eating, she paid for her meal with a hundred-dollar bill; and, while the waitress went to get change, the lady slipped out the dorr and drove away.


Wondering where her customer had gone, the waitress noticed a message on the discarded napkin: "You don't owe me anything. I've been there too. Someone nice helped me out the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here's what to do. Don't let the chain of love end with you."


Well, she had tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve; but the waitress made it through another day.


That night when she got home and climbed into bed, she thought about the money and what the lady had written. How could the woman ever have known how much she and her husband needed that money? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard. Se knew how worried her husband was. As he lay sleeping next to her, she kissed him softly and whispered, "Everything's gonna be all right. I love you, JOE."