August 10, 2018

Be Our Guest / Grace Adams

Simple business card message reminds writer of God’s deep love for her

Grace AdamsAfter 34 years with the same company, I felt it was time to retire early. Truthfully, I was almost terminated.

I was a single woman in my late 50s, too young yet for Social Security, and I wondered how I could make it on a small pension. I thought to myself, “Where in the world is God in all of this?” I felt very low about myself.

At that time, I had a new certified public accountant doing my taxes. He did an excellent job, and I was impressed with his business card that included this philosophy statement: “Making our customers the most important people in the world, because to us they are.”

I thought this was interesting, and I remembered one time in a Sunday school class the teacher had a newspaper and a Bible. “Who are you going to believe? God or the world?” he asked, then laid both down.

One of the students picked up the Bible and turned to this passage and read, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).

I realized if mere mortal man could think of me as important, how much more does God, who sent Jesus to die on the cross for me?

In spite of feeling like a failure and having to retire early, God did provide for all my needs. I became involved in a wonderful Bible study, and my church family and friends have been a great support to me.

At Christmas time, to show my appreciation to my accountant, whom I later learned is Catholic, I sent a beautiful bookmark enclosed in plastic to him with the verse John 3:16 on it. On the back, I slipped in his business card with his philosophy statement showing.

I wrote a note saying, “For in God’s eyes, we all are the most important people in the world!” He wrote back, saying that he felt honored to receive the bookmark that I picked out for him.

The Lord works in mysterious ways. A single statement on a business card led me to that beautiful Bible verse, telling us of God’s love and sacrifice for all of us in this world.
 

(Grace Adams is a member of the First Church of the Nazarene in Indianapolis.) †

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