this is cheating, but...

my dad wrote this, but i really wanted to share it with you. (he doesn't write often, but when he does, it makes you think.) you can find the original blog post here.

The Wake-Up Call - January 31, 2009

About three years ago, a friend at work stopped by my desk to tell me that he had a package for me out in his car. He didn’t want to bring it into the office, but thought it might be something helpful to me. He told me that he had found it helpful himself, and wanted to “share the wealth.”

We walked out to his car and he handed me a large paper grocery bag containing a box. He said it was mine to keep. He worried, thought, that I might not like it, and if I didn’t, I could do what ever I wanted with it. He didn’t want it back.

With that, he darted back into the office. I took the bag with the unopened box inside to my own car.

Being curious, I got into the car and took the box out of the bag. I opened the box. What ever was inside was surrounded by crumpled paper. Removing the packing materials, I finally discovered what was inside: a set of Christian books.

There was a book about God’s grace, two more about salvation, another about Christian marriage, as well as books on Paul, Joseph, and suffering; seven books in all.

My friend is an extremely reserved person, always very careful not to intrude or offend anyone. Giving me books like this, or even mentioning any topic like religion, is far outside his comfort zone. Yet, my spiritual condition was important enough to him to take the risk and to “share the wealth.”

“Wow! What a great friend!” I thought. But a second later, I was jolted upright by a razor-sharp reality: we had been good friends for over six years. I had been a Christian – a strong, rock-solid Christian, I thought – for far longer. Yet my friend didn’t know. I had never told him.

Worse yet, six years of observing me at work hadn’t let him in on the secret. In fact, he thought I had a need.

Evidently I did. Not for salvation, for I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior many years earlier. But I needed a wake-up call, with the reminder that all that I am and all that I do every day should point others to Jesus and reflect that I serve the one true Lord.

written by http://merechristianity.wordpress.com/