One day a young man was walking down the road, he had with him 5 precious items. They were called conviction, courage, faith, hope, and love. These 5 things were so close to him, because they had been given to Him by God, through people in his life. As he walked down this road...(the road by the way was called don'tlooseurway st.) he began to notice that he was the only one who had all 5. He noticed allot of people had at least one, some even two or three, but no one else had all five. So he began to ask those around them if they felt they were missing anything in their life. The first person he asked had hope, and love, so the young man asked him where they came from. He said that his Hope came form his parents, and his education, that his hope was wrapped in the potential of his future place in society. Then he went on and said that Love came from, his family, his friends, and from his fiance' whom he was set to marry in a matter of months. The young man thought, well that is good, but he soon noticed that he didn't even realize he was missing conviction, courage and faith.
So the young man continued to walk and saw a girl about his age and noticed that she had conviction. He asked her, do you feel like you are missing anything? She said nope, and I am convinced that I have all I need. I do everything with conviction, and I don't attempt anything unless I am sure that I can do the task. The young man scratched his head and asked again, "So you are convinced that you aren't missing anything?" Again she said, "Nope I am pretty sure." The young man accepted her answer and moved on.
So the young man again continued to walk and saw an older man who was carrying courage, the young man stopped him and asked,"Sir, Do you think you are missing anything in your life?" The older man said to him, "Young man let me tell you after what I have been through and all that I have learned it was my own courage that brought me through. I am sure that everything in my life has come as a result of my courage to take on task that no one thought I could complete." The young man asked him who he got the courage from. The older man talked about all of his experiences and learning how to deal with life on his own. The young man nodded, and really kind of respected him, since he was not only wiser, he was also older and didn't waiver in his commitment to courage.
The young man was nearly to his destination when he saw a man in a wheel chair who seemed to have just come from a business meeting. At least that is what his suit told the Young Man. The Young man noticed he had faith but it wasn't just faith, it was faith written on his suit! Why would this be written on his suit? Why wouldn't he carry it around so people could see it? So the Young Man and all his curiosity had to ask him. "Sir, I notice you are wearing a suit of faith," and the man in the wheel chair stopped. He said to the young man, " I am not sure what you are talking about, my suit has nothing written on it." The young man scratched his head and said, "OK I am sure I see faith written all over your suit. Again the man in the wheel chair said, "Nope I don't see anythin written on my suit young man."
The Young man said, " I have a question, do you feel like you are missing anything in your life?" The man in the wheel chair said, "Young man, I am not sure what exactly it is you are asking but I will tell you this." "I have been through things that most people wouldn't be able to handle, and have doubted allot of things in my life. There is one thing that has never been shaken in me, and that is my faith." The young man perked up and thought maybe he does see the word faith on his suit.
That wasn't the case. The man in the wheel chair went on to say, "I noticed that you have 5 things with you conviction, courage, faith, hope, and love, and that you carry them every where you go." The young man said, "Yes, sir! I do this because God gave them to me and I want the world to know that God gave them to me."
The man in the wheel chair said to him, "Have you ever thought that God gave you those things to draw people to him, not to yourself?"
The young man acknowledged this as a wise statement, but was perplexed by the man's comment.
So the man in the Wheelchair looked at him and said, "You can see my faith as something I wear, not something I carry around. See you carry these things around because you put them down at times, and you only have them when you want others to see them. The clothes I wear a covered with faith, hope, love, and all given to me through Christ." Again the boy scratched his head. The man in the wheel chair said this one final thing, "Young man, I want you to know that it is not bad to want to carry these around, but they should become such apart of you that you don't carry them, but that they become a part of you. You literally wear them, and when you do this to glorify him, people around you will see what really defines you as a person."
Then the man in the wheel chair began to go on his way, and the young man asked him quickly. "Sir, what is your name?" The man in the wheel chair said, J.C. Swatching." and then they went their separate ways.
That young man never forgot his encounter with J.C.!