Who is your daddy?

[Judy Harder]

A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in
> Gatlinburg , TN. One morning, they were eating
> breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a
> quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their
> food, they noticed a distinguished looking,
> white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting
> with the guests. The professor leaned over and
> whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn't come over
> here." But sure enough, the man did come over to their
> table.
>
> "Where are you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice.
>
> "Oklahoma ," they answered.
>
> "Great to have you here in Tennessee ," the stranger
> said. "What do you do for a living?"
>
> "I teach at a seminary," he replied.
>
> "Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you?
> Well, I've got a really great story for you." And with
> that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at
> the table with the couple.
>
> The professor groaned and thought to himself, "Great
> ... Just what I need ..another preacher story!"
>
> The man started, "See that mountain over there?
> (pointing out the restaurant window). Not far from the
> base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an
> unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because
> every place he went, he was always asked the same
> question, 'Hey boy, Who's your daddy?' Whether he was
> at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people
> would ask the same question, 'Who's your daddy?'
>
> He would hide at recess and lunchtime from other
> students. He would avoid going into stores because
> that question hurt him so bad. "When he was about 12
> years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would
> always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing
> the question, 'Who's your daddy?'
>
> But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so
> fast he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd.
>
> Just about the time he got to the back door, the new
> preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand
> on his shoulder and asked him, Son, who's your daddy?
>
> The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel
> every eye in the church looking at him. Now everyone
> would finally know the answer to the question, 'Who's
> your daddy?'
>
> "This new preacher, though, sensed the situation
> around him and using discernment that only the Holy
> Spirit could give, said the following to that scared
> little boy.. "Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see
> the family resemblance now. You are a child of God."
>
> With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said,
> "Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it."
>
> "With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a
> long time and walked out the door a changed person. He
> was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him,
> 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd just tell them, 'I'm a Child of God.'"
>
> The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and
> said, "Isn't that a great story?"
>
> The professor responded that it really was a great story!
>
> As the man turned to leave, he said, "You know, if
> that new preacher hadn't told me that I was one of
> God's children, I probably never would have amounted
> to anything!" And he walked away.
>
> The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He
> called the waitress over & asked her, "Do you know who
> that man was -- the one who just left that was sitting
> at our table?"
>
> The waitress grinned and said, "Of course. Everybody
> here knows him. That's Ben Hooper. He's the former
> governor of Tennessee !"
>
> Someone in your life today needs a reminder that
> they're one of God's children!
>
> "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word
> of God stands forever." ~~Isaiah
>
> YOU'RE ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN!!! HAVE A GREAT DAY!