The story’s told of a wise old man. Every day he and his granddaughter would sit outside his petrol station in rocking chairs, waiting to greet tourists as they passed through their small town. One day a tall man with the appearance of a tourist started looking around like he was checking out the area for a place to live. ‘So what kind of town is this anyway?’ he asked. The old man replied, ‘Well, what kind of town are you from?’ The man replied, ‘One where the people are critical of each other. It’s a real negative place to live.’ The old man said, ‘You know, that’s just how this town is too.’
Later, a family passing through also stopped for petrol. The father stepped out and asked the old man, ‘Is this town a good place to live?’ ‘Well, what about the town you’re from?’ he replied. The man said, ‘Where I’m from everyone’s close, and always willing to lend a helping hand. I really hate to leave it.’ The old man smiled and said, ‘You know what, that’s a lot like this town.’ After the family drove off, the old man’s granddaughter looked up and asked, ‘Grandpa, how come you told the first man this was a terrible place to live, and when the second family asked, you told them it was a wonderful place to live?’ The old man looked into her big blue eyes and said, ‘Sweetheart, no matter where you go, you take your attitude with you – and that’s what makes it terrible or wonderful.’ Yes, life is what you make it! Which is why the Bible says, ‘For the happy heart, life is a continual feast.’
Deuteronomy 10-12, Mark 12:1-27
No comments:
Post a Comment