Leo Tolstoy, the famous Russian author of War and Peace, during his last years increasingly turned his attention to writing tales that were faith-based. One in particular, Shoemaker Martin, is particularly moving. In this tale, an old shoemaker by the name of Martin has a dream where he is convinced that he is actually going to see Jesus this one Christmas Eve. Naturally, he gets excited and cleans his dusty old shop, making it picture perfect. He also sets two bowls on his table for the first time in many years, since he is a widower. 

The hours pass, and at first, his lonely town is deserted as Martin has his eyes glued to the window pane. Finally, a shadow appears in front of his shop. Martin gets excited for a moment. Surely this is the Lord.

But instead of Jesus, he sees Steven, the old street sweeper, who appears to be struggling trying to sweep up the snow in this cold, blocking the view of the street. Martin is annoyed by this. After all, he wants to see Jesus, not Steven, whom he sees every day. Finally, Steven rambles off, allowing Martin to see once again the street unencumbered. A few minutes go by, and Martin's conscience starts to bug him. He walks out and calls to the old man to come inside and get something to eat.

Steven gladly accepts Martin's hospitality and comes inside the little workshop. As Steven is eating, Martin's old eyes are drawn to Steven's "coat." This coat is more of a sheet with huge gaping holes running along the seams. Martin goes to the back room and grabs a spare coat of his and gives it to Steven as he rises from the table fully refreshed.

A few customers start to wander in, but there is still no sign of Jesus anywhere to be seen. As Martin steps outside for a moment, he hears a squabble coming from down the street. It turns out that his neighbor has caught a young man stealing from her pantry. He brokers a peace between them with the young man taking home the apple he stole so his family can eat with a promise that he returns the next day with Martin so that they can clean up the mess his break in has caused.

Several hours later, a snow storm begins in earnest. Martin is once again by the window looking out, trying to see Jesus. But he is still nowhere to be found. Instead, he sees a young woman trying to walk against the storm holding a newborn child against her chest. Normally, he wouldn't have even been looking out the window at this hour. He calls out to her, inviting her in. After a moment's hesitation, she accepts his invitation. Martin, moved by how frail she looks, gives her the rest of his meal and some money after learning that someone has stolen hers during her trip.

By the time she leaves, it is dark, and Martin is tired, along with being very sad. He hasn't seen Jesus. It was just an old man's whimsical fantasy. he then falls asleep and dreams.

In his dream, Jesus appears to him, and Martin, in a rare bit of boldness, asks Jesus where He was during the day. Jesus, instead of being upset or angry with Martin, replies, "You did see Me." Before Martin could protest, Jesus's face changes into that of Steven, then the young boy and the old lady, and finally that of the young mother. Martin then starts to cry, overwhelmed by what he has seen.

I absolutely love this tale. Sometimes, you and I become exactly like Martin here in this little short story. We are really pumped and excited by how we are going to meet Jesus next. We are going to the next conference, worship night, retreat, et cetera. This is going to be a sacred and beautiful moment. But then something happens and we can't attend the event that has been laid upon our heart. We might be stuck in a doctor's office, caught in really bad traffic, called into work unexpectedly, or any number of unforeseen circumstances. The temptation that naturally comes about is to dismiss what is in front of you and focus on the wrong things like Jonah did in the Old Testament. The city of Nineveh had thousands of people who had just repented for their wickedness, but Jonah's focus was on the leaf, providing shade right in front of him. We, as believers, can have a type of spiritual blinder, too, which is much different than Jonah. Sometimes, we put the event where Jesus is going to be over Jesus in front of us. The nurse taking your blood pressure might need an encouraging word, the angry driver who cut you off might need prayer, and maybe your neighbor/friend/family member is lonely on the day you can't make your event, and you can be Jesus to them by listening.

It reminds me of a prayer by St. Patrick of Ireland:

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ, when I lie down,

Christ, when I sit down,

Christ, when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ, in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ, in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

May we remember this always.