Thought for Today

Just Checking In

A minister passing thru his church in the middle of the day, decided to pause by the alter and see who had come to pray. Just then the back door opened and a man came down the aisle. The minister frowned as he saw the man hadn't shaved in awhile, his shirt was shabby and his coat was worn and frayed. The man knelt, bowed his head a few moments the rose and walked away.
Each day at noon in the days that followed the man repeated this routine without fail. One day the minister noticing the man carried a lunch pail stopped him asking "why do you come here each day?" The man replied he worked at a factory down the road and used his lunch break to pray. As the minister listened the man prayed "I just came again to tell you, Lord, how happy I've been, since we found each others friendship and you took away my sin. Don't know much of how to pray, but I think about you everyday. So Jesus this is Jim checking in today." Feeling guilty the minister told the man he was welcome to the church any time. One day the minister noticed the man had not been to pray for a while, asking at the factory he found out Jim was very ill and was in the hospital. Visiting Jim there the nurses said he had no visitors, flowers or calls from friends. Yet his smiles and kind words brought joy to the staff. The minister asked him how he could be filled with joy when he was seriously ill and no friends to call. The man replied, "the nurses are wrong,someone is here all the while. Everyday at noon He's here, a dear friend, He sits right down, takes my hand, leans over and says to me; I just came again to tell you, Jim How happy I have been , since we found this friendship, and I took away you sin, always love to hear your prayer in which you say; I think about you every day, so Jim this is Jesus checking in today."