One day, a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son,
"How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them."
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."
[Editor's Comment: This is the month when we set aside one day called "Thanksgiving Day." It occurred to me that every day should be a day of sharing our appreciation and thanks for others who make our lives easier and worthwhile. How about the hostess at the Cracker Barrel who greets us and escorts us to our table, the waitress or waiter, you grocery store clerk or cashier, your Sunday school teacher, your banker, the janitor or the person who takes care of the lawn, the cashier who takes your order and collects your money at a McDonalds, Hardy's, Bojangles, or Burger King to name a few when you go through the drive-through at a fast food establishment. How about the friends in your local church, the saints who are willing to pray with you and minister to you. Your pastor and his wife and family, choir director, pianists and organists, and singers. How about the nursery worker who takes care of our children at church or for special events, and last but not least, the men and women in the sound booth and who flash the words of songs and Scriptures on the screen, and make sure the sound level is adequate. A kind or an encouraging word may be just what that person needs for the day. We don't know what others are facing. God knows, and He just may need us to tell others that God loves them, and so do we.]
"How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them."
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."
[Editor's Comment: This is the month when we set aside one day called "Thanksgiving Day." It occurred to me that every day should be a day of sharing our appreciation and thanks for others who make our lives easier and worthwhile. How about the hostess at the Cracker Barrel who greets us and escorts us to our table, the waitress or waiter, you grocery store clerk or cashier, your Sunday school teacher, your banker, the janitor or the person who takes care of the lawn, the cashier who takes your order and collects your money at a McDonalds, Hardy's, Bojangles, or Burger King to name a few when you go through the drive-through at a fast food establishment. How about the friends in your local church, the saints who are willing to pray with you and minister to you. Your pastor and his wife and family, choir director, pianists and organists, and singers. How about the nursery worker who takes care of our children at church or for special events, and last but not least, the men and women in the sound booth and who flash the words of songs and Scriptures on the screen, and make sure the sound level is adequate. A kind or an encouraging word may be just what that person needs for the day. We don't know what others are facing. God knows, and He just may need us to tell others that God loves them, and so do we.]