Jesus, It's Jim

The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. His compassions fail not (Lam. 3:25,22)

The story is told of a shabby old gentleman who every day at twelve o'clock would enter the church, stay a few minutes, then leave. The caretaker was concerned for the valuable altar furnishings. Every day he watched to be sure nothing was taken, and everyday just at twelve the shabby figure would arrive. One day the caretaker accosted him. "Look here, my friend, what are you up to, going into the church every day?" "I go to pray," replied the old man politely. "Now come," the cautious caretaker said, "you don't stay long enough to pray."

"True enough. I cannot pray a long prayer, but every day I just comes and says,'Jesus, it's Jim.' Then I waits a minute, then comes away. I guess He hears me though it's but a little prayer."

One day Jim was knocked down crossing the street and was laid up in the hospital with a broken leg. The ward where Jim quite happily lay was a sore spot to the nurses on duty. Some of the men were cross and miserable, others did nothing but grumble from morning till night. Slowly but surely the men stopped their grumbling and were cheerful and contented.

One day as the nurse was walking through the ward she heard the men laughing. "What has happened to all of you? You are such a cheerful lot of patients lately." "It's ol' Jim," they replied. "He's always cheerful, never complains, although he is uncomfortable and in pain."

The nurse walked over to Jim's bed where the silvery-haired Jim lay with an angelic look on his smiling face. "Well, Jim, these men say you are the cause for the change in this ward. They say you are always happy." "Aye, that I am, nurse. I can't help it. You see, nurse, it's my visitor. He makes me happy." "Visitor?" The nurse was indeed puzzled for she had never noticed any visitor by Jim's bed. The chair was always empty during visiting hours. "When does your visitor come?"

"Every day," replied Jim with the light in his eyes growing brighter. "Yup, everyday at twelve o'clock He comes and stands at the foot of my bed. I see Him there, and He smiles at me and says, 'Jim, it's Jesus.'"