A number of years ago several people mistook me for a local attorney. On one occasion I was in a grocery store when the attorney’s aunt saw me and addressed me as her nephew. On other occasions I was mistaken for a certain Hollywood star. Unfortunately, both of these men were several years older than me.

One particular case of mistaken identity I hope never to forget. An acquaintance of mine was in a nursing home where he frequently came to visit residents and conduct religious services. While standing in a small group listening to the back and forth conversation, he noticed a woman in a wheelchair behind him who, quite honestly, didn’t look like she was fully aware of her surroundings.

He subconsciously dismissed her as one too demented to engage, until he felt a tug on his shirtsleeve. She motioned for him to bend down and come closer. As he did she said, “You are the only here who cares about us.” Conviction poured over him in an instant. Her kind words, meant to encourage, were a stinging rebuke to his soul.

The Bible speaks of angels around us. I think it would be just like God to send an angel in the form of a demented looking old woman to remind us what it means to love others as God loves us.

Stan Means
Elder Source Senior Ministries

Picture above was taken from a May 6, 2015 www.mirro.co.uk article on people conning the elderly out of their money – a topic for another blog, perhaps