I found this inspiring story by an unknown author. They tell us about a young man named Bill. He has disheveled hair and wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. This outfit was his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind of a loner but very, very bright.

Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative Christian church. One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, T-shirt, and wild hair. The church service had already begun, so Bill started walking down the aisle, looking for a seat.

The church is packed, and he can’t find an open seat. By now, people looked a bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no seats, he squats down right in the middle of the aisle on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, this had never happened in this church before!)

By now, the people are uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. At about this time, the minister saw one of his Elders slowly making his way toward Bill from the back of the church. This gentleman is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. He is a godly Christian, very elegant, dignified, and courtly. He walks with a cane, and as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone gets a nasty vision in their head and tells themselves that they can’t blame him for what he’s about to do.

How can you expect a man of his age and background to put up with some college kid sitting on the floor in the middle aisle, distracting everyone? It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy finally. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man’s cane.

All eyes are focused on him. You can almost hear everyone breathing in deeply. The minister can’t even preach the sermon until the Elder does what he must. They see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. Then, with great difficulty, he lowers himself, sits down next to Bill, and worships beside him so he won’t be alone.

Everyone suddenly chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control, he says, “What I’m about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget. So be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read.”

Most of us should pray daily for God to give us an equal opportunity to practice our beliefs.