Sunday, June 28, 1998
Sunday, June 28, 1998
Consider how I love your precepts; preserve my life according to your steadfast
love. (Psalms 119:159
NRSV)
Ruth Graham tells a humorous story from one of their trips to Europe. Dr. Graham and a member
of his team, Grady Wilson, had left for Moscow leaving Grady's wife, Wilma, and Ruth under the
watchful eye of an old college friend living in Paris, Jeanette Evans. "Now don't go shopping,"
were Dr. Graham's final words.
Ruth says that she and Wilma waited for the plane to disappear out of sight and headed for the
nearest junk shop. With Jeanette's expert French they managed beautifully. Wilma found several
irresistible items: among them a silver inkwell adorned with cupids. Ruth found one lovely little
painting she couldn't resist--the price, translated from French currency to American, came to ten
dollars.
At the hotel that night in Versailles they couldn't resist unwrapping their treasures. Ruth propped
her painting on the mantel over the fireplace and admired it. Wilma placed her acquisitions on the
desk, likewise enjoying her lovely old French bargains.
When their husbands returned from Moscow, they drove to Versailles to pick the women up.
They were to begin driving to Zurich, Switzerland, that afternoon. Wilma and Ruth were packing
when Grady came in to hurry them up.
"I like this picture so much," Ruth said on an impulse, "I just think I'll take it with me." And
taking her painting from the mantel, she packed it in her suitcase.
Catching on, Wilma exclaimed, "And I like this inkwell so much I think I'll just take it."
Whereupon she picked up her cupid-decorated inkstand and, fitting it in her case, closed it.
Miles on their way Ruth got to thinking about what they had done and started to laugh. "What's
so funny?" Grady wanted to know.
So, laughing, the women told him about their trip to the junk shop, their purchases, and what they
had done at the hotel.
Silence. "What's wrong?" Ruth asked. "We spent practically nothing."
"Well," Grady said, "it's just that when Wilma's back was turned, I took the inkwell out and put it
back on the desk."
Grady Wilson is a good man. And it must be a thrill to be associated with Billy Graham--one of
the most respected men in the world. And yet Grady Wilson will never be a celebrity. He will
always live in Graham's shadow.
That's where most of us live. We have our successes. We are loved by our family and friends. And
yet, when our time comes to go, the world will take little note. Like our Master, we will die
somewhat in obscurity. Maybe there's a lesson here: the world may not notice, but God certainly
will.
Prayer: Loving God, thank you for noticing the importance of my life. Amen.
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA