Several years ago a group of computer salesmen from Milwaukee went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives they would be home in plenty of time for dinner, but the meeting ran overtime and they had to race to the train station, tickets in hand. As they barrelled through the terminal, one man inadvertently kicked over a table supporting a basket, sending the fruit rolling all over the floor in all directions. Without stopping, they all reached the train just in time, and boarded it with a sigh of relief...all, that is except one.

He suddenly realized what had happened and thought about the boy whose apple-stand had been turned over. He jumped off the train and made his way back to the boy, who was fumbling around trying to recover his apples. He realized at once that the boy was blind. So he helped the boy pick up the rest of the apples, and then handed him a ten dollar bill, saying: " Here, take this; it will help make up for the damage we did. I hope we didn't spoil your day."

And as he walked away, he heard the boy ask : " Are you Jesus ?"

WWJD - "What Would Jesus Do?" This little question is already becoming familiar to many of our youth. It is the springboard for peer ministry, personal reflection and social action. And the answer to this question can sometimes be embarrassing.

We all like to follow the crowd. It's much safer to be part of a group� where we can blend in, not be noticed. We don't want to be different. We don't want to make other people uncomfortable by doing something that might make them look bad. And we certainly don't want to come off as a "goody two-shoes."

So we just let the inspiration pass - we miss the opportunity to do the magnificent gesture or the heroic act. And the magnificent and heroic can actually be the simplest of gestures.

We've all heard the saying "sticks and stones� " But there's more to the saying than just what we usually remember:

sticks and stones may break some bones, but more than bones are broken by the many inescapable stones of kind words left unspoken.

WWJD. "What Would Jesus Do?" The mission that we have been given is the same now as it was when the apostles first received it: spread the good news, heal the sick, comfort the dying, release the prisoners: "love one another as I have loved you�"

How many times have we taken the kindness of others for granted and never bothered to say "Thank you." Think of how much more joy there would be in our homes or at work if we would just tell people that we appreciate it when they do something good for us ?

And wouldn't it be wonderful if someday, somewhere, someone would be so touched by our thoughtfulness and sensitivity that they would ask: "Are you
Jesus?"