The tomatoes played dizzily on the sorting belt as busy hands reached out to grab one after the other. The stock lady with the white hair tried to squeeze one more into the bulging basket. “These are too big,” she said.
I walked past large bins of peaches which would be sorted later as she turned and smiled at us. “Oh, you’re back this summer to get more peaches, are you?”
“Yes, of course. And it’s good to see you again. I thought you had retired,” I said.
A little smile spilled over her wrinkled face. “How old am I?”
“Well, it could be dangerous to guess, you know.”
“Go ahead,” she challenged. “It won’t bother me.”
“Just tell me.”
“I’m 83. And I did retire, but that was last year. I took the year off because my husband was so sick. He died. You know, he was 87. So then I came back to help again.”
“I’m truly sorry to hear about your husband,” I stammered.
She looked at me with settled cheeriness. “Put it this way. He’s gone to be with his Lord. He was singing with the Christians at the Wednesday prayer meeting and went home to heaven on Saturday.”
I nodded. “It’s nice to hear you say he went to be with his Lord.” She seemed quite comfortable talking about the Lord, so I asked, “Was he one of those who say that they are saved or born again?”
“Oh yes,” she smiled as the light sang in her eyes. “He was saved. Do you know what that means too?”
“I’m so glad to say that I do. It’s wonderful to know the Lord, isn’t it? To be saved, to be sure about where we’re going and how we’re getting there?”
She turned to go into the huge cold storage to get the peaches we wanted. My mind went back to the words of the Lord Jesus: “I am the Door: by Me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved” (John 10:99I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9)).
It is a grand moment when the sinner finds out just how much he needs the protection of that Door. It is an unforgettable experience when the sinner just steps forward in faith to receive the Lord Jesus as the Savior. No wonder the sparkle in her eyes sang joyfully even as she spoke of her late husband who knew the Savior. He was already in eternity.
Soon you will be there also. But where?