Good morning. I recall a brief story, although I do not know where I heard it. I am sharing it because the message is true and the reminder it brings is important.
One day a man who was known for his miserly disposition found his way to the office of an aged preacher who was considered kind, and even wise. The man complained to the preacher that life had lost its allure. He could not find the joy he once knew, nor the hope he once felt. The old preacher reached out and took him by the hand, leading the miserly fellow to a window that looked out over a busy neighborhood. “Look out there” said the preacher to the man, “tell me what it is that you see.” The miserly man frowned at the foolishness of it, but he looked out the window and reported to the preacher what his eyes had come to see. “I see men and women, and I see little children.” “Is that all?” asked the old preacher, “What are all those people up to?” “Well,” said the man, “they are walking and talking and playing and living. Most seem to be smiling, but I cannot tell why.” The elderly preacher then took the miserly man’s hand once again, but this time he led him to a mirror. “Look” he told the man, “What do you see?” “Why I see myself of course, nothing more and nothing less.” “Consider” said the preacher, “I have taken you to two panes of glass. Through one you saw life and joy, but through the other you saw only yourself, nothing more and nothing less.” The preacher smiled and said, “It is the silver, the glass you last looked into is covered in silver.” The old man nodded his head as he said, “Whenever silver is added you cease to see others and only see yourself.”
How often is our vision blurred by looking at the silver, and not the people?
The writer to the Hebrews shares the words of Jesus: Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
Trust in the love of the Lord and never fall in love with the silver!
Vern