The Old Church Cleaning Lady

She is always at the church premises by 0600 hrs wearing some faded jeans, an old T shirt and some slippers. She always comes to clean the seats, arranging them, decorating the  pulpit and clean the place whenever it is dirty.

For six years she has never missed a single Saturday coming to clean the place. One Saturday a young man in a suit walked into the church while she was still arranging the chairs. He went and sat down watching as the lady was  working.

He was impressed that a lady who looked quite good even in the old cloths and a scarf over her hair could be so dedicated to her work in church. He thought within himself that this was an unfortunate lady who probably had not gotten anyone to take care of her schooling and now she would probably be an orange seller or some petty trader struggling to make ends meet at the market stall. He watched and within his heart he felt he now knew what God wanted him to do. When he had felt a compulsion to come very early to church he had not understood but now he thought he did.

He went back to his car and took out two $500 notes and when the lady finished her work and was about to leave he called her and commended her for her service and gave her the notes. She respectfully declined the gift but he insisted pressing it into her hands. He asked if she lived close by or if he could go drop her so she would not be late for the morning devotion.

She thanked him and told him that her car was out side, but he did not comprehend or even try to understand what she had just said. He walked her out determined to find out all he could about this lady that God wanted him to help change her level.

They walked out of the church with him telling her where he worked and how God had asked him to come early to church that day and how he believed God is directing him to help make a big difference in her life. He was so busy talking he had not realized they had walked directly to a BMW parked under some trees in the parking lot.

The car made his one year old Benz look like a worn out wheel barrow. The lady opened the driver's door stepped in and handed over her card to the man and said, "I believe God sent you here for a purpose, but I do not think it was to change my level, Most likely it was to change yours."

It looked as if it would take a forklift to shut the young man's mouth and move him from the place he was glued to as the lady drove off. God had a purpose for bringing him to church that morning and that purpose was to teach him humility which he learnt well because now two people always clean the church.

Many times we think so highly of ourselves that where God sends us to learn we go trying to teach.  We always imagine ourselves as teachers, never as students.