The Wooden Bowl Will Blow You Away!

From John Sykes

This is not my usual stuff.
Please read – and feel – it!

 

The Wooden Bowl (Author Unknown)

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man ' s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather ' s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. ' We must do something about father, ' said the son. ' I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. ' 

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather ' s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, ' What are you making? '

Just as sweetly, the boy responded, ' Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. ' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Folks, please think about this. It should make you wonder about how good a Christian, or parent, or leader, or politician, or person you are.

This made me think about all the freedoms we have been given by God. And it makes me sad by showing me those freedoms can and will be taken away when we falter. And then it strengthens my faith and reassures me that our loss of those freedoms is only temporally.

Most of all it doesn’t surprise me that it took children to bring the point home. After all, Jesus tells us “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” Mark 10:14