My friend and his wife went to the market the other day together. He began talking to a fellow he saw there. His wife assumed that they knew each other, so she went on shopping. After about 30 minutes she came back by and they were still talking, and more animated. She could hear now that they were talking about bicycles and cycling.
She finally completed her shopping and proceeded to the checkout where my friend joined her. “Who was that?” she asked. “I didn’t catch his name,” he replied. “What? You guys seemed like old friends.” “No. He’s a cyclist,” he responded. “How in the earth did you know that?” she inquired. My friend smiled and pointed at his Louis Garneau socks and said,
“He was wearing socks like mine. Nobody wears socks like these except other cyclists.”
People who are into a particular hobby or interest, pursue it, study it, upgrade their gear for it, and try to get better at it. They especially like to be around others who share their passion.
When you get around other people who are into the same thing as you are, there’s sort of a sixth sense that surfaces. You can both tell that you have something in common.
One of the things that binds Christians together is God’s mercy. No matter what age, background, language, style, culture, etc., when God’s mercy is talked about between us, we feel connected.
A priest bypassed him…a zealous Levite also bypassed him. Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. (Luke 10:33–34, NLT)
When we were in the darkest of states; robbed, beaten, half dead, barely alive, and our future in totally jeopardy. Criticized by religious people for reaping what we had sewn. Bypassed by busy people on their way to church. It’s God’s mercy that found us. His mercy cleansed our wounds. His mercy provided shelter and resources for our healing.
Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 3:3)
Hope we run into each other in the market. But it won’t be socks that catch our attention, but the marks of mercy written on our hearts.
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