the MAN i NEVER MET

Strange title, isn’t it? What do I mean by “The Man I Never Met”?

I want to share the testimony of a man I never actually met. His name was Win, at least that is what everyone called him.

Back in the 1990s, I attended his funeral with my father-in-law. Win was a logger who had tragically lost his life in a logging accident. During the funeral, they gave people an opportunity to stand and share stories about him. There were many loggers there that day, and several of them had come straight from work, still wearing their work clothes. One of those men stood up and shared a story I have never forgotten. He told about a Sunday morning when he had run off the road and gotten stuck in the mud. Win and his family happened to come along on their way to church. They were dressed in their Sunday best, but when Win saw this man stranded on the side of the road, he pulled over to help. Win could have simply waved and kept going. After all, he was dressed for church. But he didn’t. Instead, Win got down in the mud, in his best Sunday suit, crawled underneath where he needed to, hooked up a chain, and helped pull this man out. The man sharing the story said he would never forget what Win had done for him.

Neither did I.

I never met Win. I never shook his hand or had a conversation with him, but nearly thirty years later, I still remember the testimony of his life. Win was a Christian, and on that Sunday morning he modeled something of the humility of Christ. Philippians 2:8 says, “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even to death on a cross.” Think about that for a moment. Win was willing to get his nice clothes dirty to help someone in need. Jesus Christ was willing to humble Himself far beyond anything we could ever imagine. He left the glory of heaven, took upon Himself humanity, became a servant, and ultimately humbled Himself all the way to the cross.

Win impacted his coworkers, his neighbors, and apparently even a young man sitting quietly at his funeral by living out his faith with humility. Christ impacted the entire world through His perfect humility and obedience, going all the way to the cross for us. There is something else that strikes me about this story. Win probably had no idea that morning that anyone would remember what he did. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone. He wasn’t standing behind a pulpit preaching a sermon. He simply saw someone who needed help, got down in the mud, and served him. Sometimes the greatest sermons we preach are not spoken with our mouths. They are lived through our actions.

I will never forget Win, the man I never met. And because of the hope we have in Christ, I look forward to the day when I finally do.