The Man in the Wheelchair
As I get older, the Lord is teaching me to notice the little things. He is teaching me to slow down and smell the roses from time to time. In one of my recent revival meetings, I had one of these moments.
At the end of my services, I typically go to the back of the auditorium to greet people as they leave and to be available for any counseling or questions. As I was standing in the back, I noticed an older couple. The man was sitting in a wheelchair and his wife was seated in the chair beside of him.
After the dismissal prayer, I watched the man struggle to get situated in his chair. His wife tried her best to help him get comfortable while a young man came from across the aisle to lend a hand. As I watched this tender scene, several things came to my mind.
This older couple could have live-streamed the service, but they valued the importance of being with God’s people. Instead of choosing the path of convenience, they made the effort to be in the service. Their faithful example is a rebuke to every healthy young couple who watches church from home because they have “things to do”.
I also noticed that the man in the wheelchair was dressed in a sport coat, dress slacks, and a tie. Now please don’t get me wrong. I don’t think a man needs to wear a tie to church to be spiritual. I was raised in a rural part of North Carolina where I watched men wear Pointer Brand overalls to church. Whether it was a tie or overalls, the same thing was true. They wore the best thing they had. The man in the wheelchair (or his wife) went through the inconvenience of buttoning a dress shirt and wearing a tie when many would not? Why did he do that? I didn’t ask him, but I cannot help but think that he wanted to honor the Lord in His house.
The wife of this man had my greatest admiration. Only God knows her weariness and concern as she takes care of her spouse in these failing years. This kind of commitment is not conceived out of the lust promoted by Hollywood but out of an enduring love that is patterned after God’s love for us.
Although I graduated from college years ago, I am still in the classroom of life. This professor in a wheel chair and his wife taught me to prioritize being with God’s people, to give God His due respect and reverence, and to love like God loves. Whenever you are tempted to miss a service or not give God your best, just remember the man in the wheelchair . . .
Hebrews 10:25 - “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”