Her bright smile and cheerful voice seemed unusual for someone working at a discount store checkout counter early in the morning. I glanced at her nametag, then looked more closely to make sure I had read it correctly. It said: MARY-N-GOD. So I asked her if she and the Lord were doing this job together. “Oh, yes!” she said, beaming. “He works with me and walks with me and talks with me, and we share the most wonderful life together. I couldn’t do it without Him.”

Mary was a winsome representative of Christ and a vivid illustration of Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” Although not in the limelight, Mary, through her attitude and actions, witnessed to hundreds of people every day. Mary’s pulpit was a checkout counter, and her smile was the opening sentence in a powerful sermon about the difference Christ makes in a life. If someone asked, she was happy to tell them more.

When I told my wife about Mary, she said, “I think she’s one of those who seem to be last here on earth but will be first when they get to heaven.” I had to agree.

You and I can also be effective witnesses if we know, love, and walk with Jesus the way Mary does.