1. Story within our own family
Once upon a time, there was a married woman who had children. One day she ran into a stranger as she passed by. "Oh... excuse me please...", she said. The stranger replied, "Please excuse me too, I wasn't really watching you."
They were very polite, the stranger and her went on their ways and said good bye. But at home is a different story how we treat our loved ones, young and old.
In the evening when the woman reached home and started cooking the evening meal, her son stood beside her very still. When she turned, she nearly knocked him down. "Move out of the way !", she whined. Her son walked away with his little heart broken. The mother didn't realize how harshly she had spoken.
While she lay awake that night in bed, God's still small voice came to her and said, "While dealing with stranger, common courtesy you use, but the children you love, you seem to abuse. Go and look on the kitchen floor, you'll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers he brought for you. He picked them himself; pink, yellow and blue. He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise. You never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By that time, the mother was filled with sorrow and her tears began to fall. She quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up my son", she said. "Are those flowers you picked for me ?" He smiled, "I found them, out by the tree. I picked them because they are pretty like you. I know you'd like them especially the blue."
So, the mother said, "Son, I'm sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way." He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay, I love you anyway." The mother said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
2. Story within our parents family
Once upon a time, there was a young family; a father, mother and their young son. Living with them was the father's dad. Grandpa was old and shaky and very feeble. He dripped everything, especially when he ate. He slobbered everything and made a terrible mess. It was embarrassing to the family, especially when company came over. So put the old man off to one side, away from the table. They gave him an earthen bowl to eat out of. But he broke that. In fact he continued to slobber and make a mess. Finally his daughter-in-law spoke out harshly to him and moved him to a far corner of the room, far from the dinner table. He was given a wooden trough to eat out of. At meal time he would look wistfully at the family, wishing that he could eat with them. But that was not to be.
One day the daughter-in-law found her son fiddling with some pieces of wood as he tried to put them together. She asked him what he was doing. His son answered, "I am making a trough for you and daddy that I can give you when I grow up." With these words, judgement was brought to the daughter-in-law, and she shared it to her husband. They brought their dad back to the table. He didn't stop slobbering or shaking, but it didn't matter anymore. They were finally honoring their father.
Now brothers and sisters, think of the philosophy behind this message i.e. the two stories told above. Do we practise apology for our wrong doing ? Do we practise love and kindness within our family ? Start with our own family and to the world.
Proverbs 1:8-9 Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don't neglect your mother's teaching. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor.
Once upon a time, there was a married woman who had children. One day she ran into a stranger as she passed by. "Oh... excuse me please...", she said. The stranger replied, "Please excuse me too, I wasn't really watching you."
They were very polite, the stranger and her went on their ways and said good bye. But at home is a different story how we treat our loved ones, young and old.
In the evening when the woman reached home and started cooking the evening meal, her son stood beside her very still. When she turned, she nearly knocked him down. "Move out of the way !", she whined. Her son walked away with his little heart broken. The mother didn't realize how harshly she had spoken.
While she lay awake that night in bed, God's still small voice came to her and said, "While dealing with stranger, common courtesy you use, but the children you love, you seem to abuse. Go and look on the kitchen floor, you'll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers he brought for you. He picked them himself; pink, yellow and blue. He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise. You never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By that time, the mother was filled with sorrow and her tears began to fall. She quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up my son", she said. "Are those flowers you picked for me ?" He smiled, "I found them, out by the tree. I picked them because they are pretty like you. I know you'd like them especially the blue."
So, the mother said, "Son, I'm sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way." He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay, I love you anyway." The mother said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
2. Story within our parents family
Once upon a time, there was a young family; a father, mother and their young son. Living with them was the father's dad. Grandpa was old and shaky and very feeble. He dripped everything, especially when he ate. He slobbered everything and made a terrible mess. It was embarrassing to the family, especially when company came over. So put the old man off to one side, away from the table. They gave him an earthen bowl to eat out of. But he broke that. In fact he continued to slobber and make a mess. Finally his daughter-in-law spoke out harshly to him and moved him to a far corner of the room, far from the dinner table. He was given a wooden trough to eat out of. At meal time he would look wistfully at the family, wishing that he could eat with them. But that was not to be.
One day the daughter-in-law found her son fiddling with some pieces of wood as he tried to put them together. She asked him what he was doing. His son answered, "I am making a trough for you and daddy that I can give you when I grow up." With these words, judgement was brought to the daughter-in-law, and she shared it to her husband. They brought their dad back to the table. He didn't stop slobbering or shaking, but it didn't matter anymore. They were finally honoring their father.
Now brothers and sisters, think of the philosophy behind this message i.e. the two stories told above. Do we practise apology for our wrong doing ? Do we practise love and kindness within our family ? Start with our own family and to the world.
Proverbs 1:8-9 Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don't neglect your mother's teaching. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor.
Fabian George Juis
No comments:
Post a Comment