The Dinner Guest
My sweet friend, George Mensah, sent this to me...I don't think he wrote it either, but it is a sweet story.
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. 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 twelve 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,lady?"
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 a job, ya know, and my wife
and I have been living out here on the street, and,
well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda
hungry 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 a few cold cuts and some bread,
and I'm having an important guest for dinner
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!"
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 and 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. But
as she did, she noticed another envelope in her
mailbox.
"That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice
in one day."
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.
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. 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 twelve 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,lady?"
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 a job, ya know, and my wife
and I have been living out here on the street, and,
well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda
hungry 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 a few cold cuts and some bread,
and I'm having an important guest for dinner
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!"
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 and 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. But
as she did, she noticed another envelope in her
mailbox.
"That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice
in one day."
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.
posted by angela at 2:25 PM
3 Comments:
Yeah..... that's good. And that's what it's all about.
I'm always afraid that will happen to me.
Very nice.
Once a friend and I were coming back from night class and saw a young girl walking on the side of a dark highway. We asked if she wanted a lift and she said yes. She said she was running away from home.
She was about 16 years old. I was only about 25 myself and the other lady I was with was in her forties. She was a single mom, struggling to make ends meet, I was a young single woman and here we had this young girl and weren't quite sure what to do.
She was distressed and cold because she only had on light clothing and it was in the fall. It was evident that she needed some time alone to sort things out.
I didn't want to take her back to my home in the interest of my own safety and not knowing the particulars of her situation.
I gave my coat to her and I took her to the local motel and paid for a room for the night.
My friend was my strength and guide on what we could do, she had no means to be able to pay for the motel, but I did, and so it was a joint effort that we got her set up for the night.
We both worked for the same company and the next morning we discussed going to see her at the motel.
We went at lunch and she was gone.
I often wonder what happened to that young girl and to my friend who helped as well. It was when I lived in another town and we have since lost touch, but I think of her from time to time. Her name was Rosemary.
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