Jean Coleman's Blog - Posts Tagged "humility"
THE TOENAIL CLIPPERS
Viola had a tender heart. She had given her heart to the Lord at the age of seventy-five and immediately felt the call to be a servant. She reached out a helping hand to the sick, the aged, the lonely, the unloved and began to share the love of Jesus with them.
Joe was an elderly man whose family had discarded him years before. Viola seemed to be his only friend. She drove him to the doctor's office, prepared him hot soup, tidied up his small apartment and continually told Joe about her best friend named Jesus.
Joe had a very bad heart and finally it was determined that heart surgery was the only answer. The evening before Joe was to enter the hospital, Viola stopped by his apartment to see if there was anything he needed or if there was anything that she could do to help him. "There is one thing that I need," Joe responded reluctantly, "but I hesitate to ask you to help me with it."
"Don't be silly," Viola replied with a smile. "That's what I'm here for. What is it that I can do for you?"
Joe looked down at his lap before he answered. "Well, actually I need someone to cut my toenails. My arthritis has been so bad that I haven't been able to bend over to cut them for months and I'm ashamed to go into the hospital with my feet looking like this."
Viola tried to keep the repulsion from showing on her face. "No problem, Joe," she answered. "Give me the clippers." Kneeling down on the floor before him, she removed his slippers and socks, fighting nausea as the odor of sweaty feet filled her nostrils. Silently she prayed. "Lord, I don't want to cut this old man's toenails."
And from within she heard a still small voice reply, "Have you forgotten that I washed the disciples' feet?"
Humbled before the Lord, her tears fell upon Joe's feet as she ministered to him. Suddenly she felt Joe's hand upon her shoulder and raised her eyes to look up at his face. Joe's eyes were also filled with tears. "Viola," he asked with a shaky voice, "I want to know your friend Jesus too. What must I do to be saved?"
Viola brought Joe over to our house that night and we had the privilege of introducing him to the Savior. Joe opened his heart, received forgiveness of his sins and was born again.
A week later we stopped by the hospital to see how Joe was doing following his heart surgery. At the information desk we were told that there was no one by that name listed in their patient files. "But he has to be there," we explained. "He had surgery this morning and should be in the Coronary Care Unit. Could you look again?"
The receptionist checked the computer a second time and then asked us if we were relatives. Upon learning that we were pastors, she informed us that Joe had died on the operating table that morning during surgery.
But we knew that Joe was not dead. He was very much alive. He had simply changed his address and gone home to meet His Savior face to face. We also knew that Joe had already seen Jesus through the life of a humble woman with a toenail clipper in her hand, a woman named Viola.
Joe was an elderly man whose family had discarded him years before. Viola seemed to be his only friend. She drove him to the doctor's office, prepared him hot soup, tidied up his small apartment and continually told Joe about her best friend named Jesus.
Joe had a very bad heart and finally it was determined that heart surgery was the only answer. The evening before Joe was to enter the hospital, Viola stopped by his apartment to see if there was anything he needed or if there was anything that she could do to help him. "There is one thing that I need," Joe responded reluctantly, "but I hesitate to ask you to help me with it."
"Don't be silly," Viola replied with a smile. "That's what I'm here for. What is it that I can do for you?"
Joe looked down at his lap before he answered. "Well, actually I need someone to cut my toenails. My arthritis has been so bad that I haven't been able to bend over to cut them for months and I'm ashamed to go into the hospital with my feet looking like this."
Viola tried to keep the repulsion from showing on her face. "No problem, Joe," she answered. "Give me the clippers." Kneeling down on the floor before him, she removed his slippers and socks, fighting nausea as the odor of sweaty feet filled her nostrils. Silently she prayed. "Lord, I don't want to cut this old man's toenails."
And from within she heard a still small voice reply, "Have you forgotten that I washed the disciples' feet?"
Humbled before the Lord, her tears fell upon Joe's feet as she ministered to him. Suddenly she felt Joe's hand upon her shoulder and raised her eyes to look up at his face. Joe's eyes were also filled with tears. "Viola," he asked with a shaky voice, "I want to know your friend Jesus too. What must I do to be saved?"
Viola brought Joe over to our house that night and we had the privilege of introducing him to the Savior. Joe opened his heart, received forgiveness of his sins and was born again.
A week later we stopped by the hospital to see how Joe was doing following his heart surgery. At the information desk we were told that there was no one by that name listed in their patient files. "But he has to be there," we explained. "He had surgery this morning and should be in the Coronary Care Unit. Could you look again?"
The receptionist checked the computer a second time and then asked us if we were relatives. Upon learning that we were pastors, she informed us that Joe had died on the operating table that morning during surgery.
But we knew that Joe was not dead. He was very much alive. He had simply changed his address and gone home to meet His Savior face to face. We also knew that Joe had already seen Jesus through the life of a humble woman with a toenail clipper in her hand, a woman named Viola.
