Charles Plumb was sitting in a restaurant when a man came up to him and said, "You’re Plumb. You flew jet fighters in Vietnam. You were on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!" "How in the world did you know all that?" asked Plumb. The man, who had been on the same ship, replied, "I packed your parachute." Then he added, "I guess it worked." "Indeed it did," said Plumb.
That night Plumb thought of this man who had stood at a table in the belly of the ship carefully folding parachutes for men whose lives might depend on them. Plumb was saddened and humbled as he thought, How many times might I have passed this man but didn’t even say good morning because I was a jet pilot and he was a low-ranking sailor?
This story brings to mind David’s words in today’s Bible reading. Two hundred of his men became too weary to march farther to fight the Amalekites. So they stayed behind to guard the supplies. When David returned from battle, he made no distinction between them and his fighting men. He said, "They shall share alike" (1 Samuel 30:24).
In God’s service there are no high and low people, no high and low tasks. We all depend on one another. Let’s never forget those who packed our parachute. – Herbert Vander Lugt
Lord, help us to appreciate
The work that others do,
The service given from their hearts,
Their sacrifice for you. — Sper
Read: 1 Samuel 30:1-25
No service for Christ is insignificant.