"Trust people and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
David Wilkerson was an evangelical preacher who is best known for his work among the street gangs of New York in the 1960s and 70s. His story of work among New York City's toughest children and teenagers is told in the book The Cross and The Switchblade and in the movie of the same name. A story that he shares in the book exemplifies what trust can mean to someone.
Nicky Cruz was a young man that Wilkerson met in the streets. The first time they met Cruz pulled a knife and told Wilkerson he would kill him if he came near. Nevertheless, Wilkerson persisted and convinced many of the youth to come to a rally at a rented facility. This was a massive undertaking which required busing the children from different gangs across town to keep them from fighting as they went through a rival gang's territory. Nothing like it had ever been attempted before and all the critics said it would fail.
During the rally when it came time to take the offering Cruz was the one chosen. They passed an offering plate and he and several of his fellow gang members were asked to go through a side door and bring it up onto the stage. All the youth began to laugh and Wilkerson knew why.There was also an exit from that side door out onto the street and everyone knew that Nicky would simply take the money and leave: but he didn't. In his own words, Cruz later testified: "When I went out of that side door with the money it suddenly dawned on me that the preacher trusted me. In all my life no one had ever trusted me before." This trust opened the door to Nicky's heart and his conversion. In time Nicky Cruz became a well known minister himself and continued Bro. Wilkerson's work among the gangs.
Is there someone in your life that is hard to deal with? Someone that seems to make the same mistakes again and again. Perhaps they just need someone to believe in them, to believe they can be different. You just might be that someone if you won't give up. After all, a little trust goes a long way.
Trusting Him Daily,
Spanish Pastor Jones
Ralph Waldo Emerson
David Wilkerson was an evangelical preacher who is best known for his work among the street gangs of New York in the 1960s and 70s. His story of work among New York City's toughest children and teenagers is told in the book The Cross and The Switchblade and in the movie of the same name. A story that he shares in the book exemplifies what trust can mean to someone.
Nicky Cruz was a young man that Wilkerson met in the streets. The first time they met Cruz pulled a knife and told Wilkerson he would kill him if he came near. Nevertheless, Wilkerson persisted and convinced many of the youth to come to a rally at a rented facility. This was a massive undertaking which required busing the children from different gangs across town to keep them from fighting as they went through a rival gang's territory. Nothing like it had ever been attempted before and all the critics said it would fail.
During the rally when it came time to take the offering Cruz was the one chosen. They passed an offering plate and he and several of his fellow gang members were asked to go through a side door and bring it up onto the stage. All the youth began to laugh and Wilkerson knew why.There was also an exit from that side door out onto the street and everyone knew that Nicky would simply take the money and leave: but he didn't. In his own words, Cruz later testified: "When I went out of that side door with the money it suddenly dawned on me that the preacher trusted me. In all my life no one had ever trusted me before." This trust opened the door to Nicky's heart and his conversion. In time Nicky Cruz became a well known minister himself and continued Bro. Wilkerson's work among the gangs.
Is there someone in your life that is hard to deal with? Someone that seems to make the same mistakes again and again. Perhaps they just need someone to believe in them, to believe they can be different. You just might be that someone if you won't give up. After all, a little trust goes a long way.
Trusting Him Daily,
Spanish Pastor Jones