I’m reminded of a story told when I was in seminary by a professor who all the students would have considered great. He was certainly the most popular “prof’ on campus. His name was Dr. Howard Hendricks, but he insisted that his students just call him “prof.”
He tells the story of how early in his career he went to fulfill a speaking engagement and took his wife along. He preached with all the fire he could muster and the response was remarkable. They stayed late greeting and speaking with people after the service.
On the way home, the young “prof” at the time, felt quite proud of the job he had done and was becoming a bit overinflated. He turned to his wife and said somewhat smugly, “just how many really great preachers do you think there are in the world?”
Jean, his young wife, yet wise for her years said with a slight smile, “one less than you think.”
© 2009, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 7 (2009).