Checking In Today

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A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray.
Just then the back door opened, a man came down the aisle.
The minister frowned as he saw – the man hadn’t shaved in a while.

His shirt was kind of shabby and his coat was worn and frayed.
The man knelt awhile and bowed his head, then rose and walked away.
Like clockwork in the days that came, each noon showed up this chap,
Each time he knelt just for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap.

Well, the minister’s suspicions grew, with robbery his main fear,
He decided to stop the man and ask, “What are you doing here?”
The old man worked down the road; lunchtime was half an hour.
This also was his prayer time, for finding strength and power.

“I can’t stay long cause I have to walk and the factory’s far away;
And as I kneel here praying, this is what I say:
“I just came again to tell you Lord, how happy I have been,
Since we found each other’s friendship and you took away my sin.

Don’t know exactly how to pray, but I think about you every day.
So Jesus, this is your friend Jim, checking in again today.”
The minister feeling foolish told Jim that that was fine.
Said he was welcome in his church, to come and pray anytime.

Jim smiled and said “See you tomorrow” as he hurried to the door.
The minister then knelt at the altar, like he’d never done before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love, as he met with Jesus there.
His spirit soured on wings of a dove, as he repeated old Jim’s prayer:

“I just came again to tell you Lord, how happy that I’ve been
Since we found each other’s friendship and you took away my sin.
I don’t know much of how to pray, but I think about you every day.
So Jesus, this is me Lord, just checking in today.”

Past noon one day, the minister noticed, that old Jim hadn’t come.
As more days passed without him, he began to worry some.
At the factory, he inquired, and learned that Jim was ill.
The hospital staff was worried too, though he’d given them a thrill.

The week that Jim was with them, brought changes to the ward.
His smiles and a joy contagious; changed lives, were his reward.
The head nurse could not understand why this man was so glad?
No flowers, no calls nor cards came, not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bedside, he voiced the same concern;
No friends had come to show they cared; he had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up, and with a winsome smile;
“The nurse is wrong, she couldn’t know, that in here all the while,

Every day at noon my friend is here, a very dear friend, you see,
He sits right down and takes my hand, leans over and says to me:
“Just came again to tell you Jim, how happy I have been,
Since we found this friendship, and I took away your sin.

I always love to hear you pray; I think about you every day.
And so Jim, this is Jesus, checking in again today.”

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