Wednesday, December 10, 2008

BURDEN OR BROTHER

A boy was carrying his crippled younger brother on his shoulders through the street. Seeing this, an old lady lamented, “Poor boy! What a burden you are carrying at this small age!” Hearing this, the boy told her emphatically, “He is not a burden. He is my beloved brother.”

There is a story about a procession held in a church after a charismatic retreat. Wooden crosses were arranged in the church to be carried by each during the procession through the street as a symbol of penance. The preacher announced, “Now each one shall carry your cross and get ready for the procession.” Suddenly, a drunken man advanced towards the ladies’ section and lifted his wife, loudly declaring, “Father, she is my cross.” A comedian once explained that the term “WIFE” was the abbreviation of the phrase, “Worry Invited For Ever”.

Let us be ready to bear others’ burdens instead of being burdens to others. The distance to God is the distance to our nearest person. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho passes through our home. Let us be a “Good Samaritan” to any one who needs our kind consideration and affectionate assistance, especially to the members of our own family who are aged, sick and suffering. Charity begins at home.

“Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don’t have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!”-

if you don’t give them the necessities of life?” {James 2:15, 16}.

By Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. This is Story No. 15 in this site. Please click ‘Older Post’ at the bottom of this page to read previous stories and click 'Newer Post' at the bottom of this page to read newer stories in this site. Please click on a word in the 'Story Themes' to read stories on that theme.

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