A hometown newspaper reporter where D. L. Moody was preaching, ridiculed some of his stories. He admitted that they were interesting and that Moody had a charming way of telling them; but he felt they were untrue and only told to work in the feelings of the people.
Having been assigned to report the sermons, he one night asked those in charge of the meetings if he might challenge Mr. Moody to supply proof that his stories were true. Permission was granted and the infidel representative of the press took a seat near the platform.
Moody's subject was Spiritual Light, and to illustrate a point he proceeded to tell a story. The reporter had just begun to write when suddenly he laid aside his note book and listened. The substance of the story was this: One evening a man was walking along a street in the shopping center of a city where the stores were all brightly lit and beautifully decorated. At one shop he noticed three little girls, two of whom were intensely interested in what they saw in the window. Having passed by, he asked himself what could have excited the little girls to such a pitch. Curiosity overcame him and he turned back to see. It was then he discovered that one of the little girls was blind. The other two were trying to describe to her the beautiful things in the window. They seemed to forget that she was blind and almost rebuked her for not being as interested as they.
"Why," they said, "can't you see that Teddy Bear and that baby doll? And that pretty pink bow?"
But the poor little blind girl stood with a blank expression on her face, totally unable to appreciate the beautiful things before her.
"Now," said Moody, "this is only an illustration of the efforts which we Christians are making to arouse the unconverted to an interest and delight in spiritual things. The reason we cannot do so is because the sinner is spiritually blind."
Moody had scarcely concluded his sermon when the reporter was on the platform and demanded where he had heard that story.
"O," said Moody, "I read it in one of the daily papers; I have forgotten which one."
"Then," said the reporter, "I wrote that story myself. I was the man who saw that little blind girl. But I never thought of such an application as you have made of it tonight. I see now that I am spiritually blind."
By means of the gospel light he saw himself a sinner in need of a Savior. He also learned that God had so loved him as to give His Son to die for him on the cross of 'Calvary; that God on the third day had raised Him from the dead and made Him both Lord and Christ. He learned that Jesus Christ is not only the Messiah of Israel, but the Savior of the world.
That night the infidel reporter accepted Christ as his own Savior, and found joy and peace in believing.