A Salutary Tale...

A lady went to her minister and said: “I won’t be coming to church anymore.” 

The minister said: “May I ask why?” 

She said: “I see people on their mobile phones during the service, some are gossiping, some just aren’t living right. They are all just hypocrites.” 

The minister said: “OK. But can I ask you to do something for me, before you make your final decision?” 

“What’s that?” she asked. 

The minister said: “Take a glass of water and walk round the church with it twice, but don’t let any water spill from the glass." 

She said: “Yes, I can do that.” 

Afterwards, she came back to him and said: “I have done it.” 

The minister asked her three questions: 

• Did you see anyone on their mobile phone?
• Did you see anybody gossiping?
• Was anybody living wrong? 

She said: “I didn’t see anything, because I was so focussed on this glass, so the water wouldn’t spill.” 

The minister told her: “When you come to church, you should be so focussed on God, so that you do not fall. That’s why Jesus said – ‘Follow me’. He did not say ‘Follow Christians’. Don’t let your relationship with God be determined by how others relate to God. Let it be determined by how focussed you are with God.” 

Anon