The interesting thing for me to see here was a slight window into my Grandmother`s heart. We called her "Ma", and I do not remember her for her baskets of silver! She was my Daddy`s mother and we spent many days and nights at her house and we always had a good timme, but an encourager with words, wasn`t her gift. After seeing her book and reading what she underlined, it would seem that those words were important to her...perhaps she just didn`t know how to show it...
Even as this book was written in 1955, it could have well been written today. The message is the same. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Proverbs 25:11... I love that verse.. The book spoke of Dr. Bernard Taylor, who taught Hebrew in the Eastern Baptist Seminary at Philadelphia and how he used to say....." Apples of gold in baskets of silver." He wanted all to know that beautiful words can be as precious and as lovely as golden apples. Many of us could fill that silver basket full of different kinds of golden apples- words of praise, words of comfort, or words of encouragement. Happy words are like golden apples. Humorous words are like apples of gold. A happy hearted Christian, who can speak words that will chase the furrows out of the faces around him and leave a smile instead, will be pleasing the Master and fulfulling the Bible`s admonition to "adorn the gospel."
Among the most beautiful golden apples are words spoken for the Master. the words that we do not speak must be heartache to our Heavenly Father..
It was with that thought in my mind, I entered Publix today to get a few things. I usually tell the person bagging the groceries that I can do it myself but thanks anyway. Today, for no particular reason, the young man bagging asked the usual question, "Can I help you take your bags to your car?" After almost saying my standard answer, I noticed that there were hardly any other people checking out, so he had the time and probably needed something to do, so I said,"Sure, that will be nice." I had seen the young man working there before. He is small in statue, he walks a bit slow, he talks to himself a bit, he has trouble hearing and wears a hearing aide. He is kind of quiet. I am thinking how nice it is that Publix gives him the opportunity to work cause he is a good, hard worker, and probably more dependable than most.
We leave the store, I look around for a minute trying to remember where I parked, as usual(!), then I spot my car and we head over. As he was putting the groceries in the car, we made small talk about him being at work since 8 this morning and would be there until 5:45. I said that at least he got a little break at lunch, at which he commented, "Yes, I get lunch at 1:45" Me.... "Well do you bring your lunch or go out? there are plenty of places around here..." He said, he had just had his birthday last week and got some $10 gift certificates from Taco Bell and McDonalds, which are both within walking distance but sometimes he goes to Subway. "Oh, your birthday, how old were you?" Then he looks at me and says... "When people ask me that, I always say...'how old do you think I am?' " I thought for a moment, not wanting to offend him, and I say, "22? " (but was really thinking in his late 20`s). He smiled and said, "41"!!
I teased him that he could pass for a teenager at which, he seemed pleased. I thanked him for his help, he said good bye and then he turned to walk back to the store, to help someone else.
I got in my car, smiling to myself, for this apple that God had given me today. I had almost missed it! I had almost said," no thank you".... but after giving him an opportunity to do his job, and help me, I was the one blessed to have had that time with this special young man.
Isn`t that just like God, for you to think you are doing something for someone else but in return, He had planned for you to get the blessing?!! I thought about this young man`s parents, how proud they must be of him, for working so hard, and how much they must love him. Even at 41, he is still someone`s little boy...
"I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth , I knew not where.
BUt long yeaers after in the heart of an oak
I found my arrow still unbroke.
I breathed a song into the air
It fell to earth, I knew not where
But long years after, in the heart of a friend
I found my song from beginning to end.
Apples of gold in baskets of silver, is what I want to carry with me, ready to share and to give away whenever I can...
Have a great night,
Love,
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