Martin the Cobbler

In perhaps his best book, The Shoemaker's Gift, Leo Tolstoy tells of an elderly shoemaker Martin, believing that God has forsaken him after the loss of his family and that he has little to live for. Martin finds new inspiration when a clergyman leaves behind a Bible. His explorations of Bible stories shine a new light in the darkest corners of his heart.

In the book he asks "But how is one to live for God?" The old man answered: "How one may live for God has been shown us by Christ. Can you read? Then buy the Gospels, and read them: there you will see how God would have you live. You have it all there." These words sank deep into Martin's heart, and that same day he went and bought himself a Testament in large print, and began to read.
He came to  Matthew 7:24-27.  He tried his own life by the standard of those words, asking himself:
"Is my house built on the rock, or on sand?

He read Luke 7:44 and thought: "He gave no water for his feet, gave no kiss, his head with oil he did not anoint?" And Martin took off his spectacles once more, laid them on his book, and pondered.
"He must have been like me, that Pharisee. He too thought only of himself ? how to get a cup of tea, how to keep warm and comfortable; never a thought of his guest. He took care of himself, but for his guest he cared nothing at all. Yet who was the guest? The Lord himself! If he came to me, should I behave like that?"

One night Martin then hears the voice of the Lord say to him that he will come and be his guest tomorrow. Martin is expectant to see the Lord throughout the next day but at the end of the day he has not come. But the people that Martin interacts with throughout his day were those that God had sent his way. When I was hungered, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in." "In so much as ye did it to the least of my brethren  you did it to me."

And Martin understood that his dream had come true; and that the Savior had really come to him that day, and he had welcomed him. He who had repaired the soles of shoes, had his own soul repaired that day.
What great lessons we can learn from this story... and we all have a story to tell each day in the situations that we are given.

You can listen to the audio dramatization of this story presented by the Focus on the Family Radio Theater:

http://media.focusonthefamily.com/fotf/mp3/fof_daily_broadcast/ffd_2012/4_oct_nov_dec/ffd_20121224.mp3