‘Immature love,’ writes Fromm (1962), ‘says I love you because I need you. Mature love says I need you because I love you’ (p. 3). Significantly, in both the Old and the New Testaments the central objects of man’s love are the poor, the dispossessed, the stranger, the widow, the orphan and eventually the enemy. Only in the love of those who do not serve our purposes does love begin to enfold and enrich the lives of lover and that which is loved.
Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight? Just remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.
Should you find yourself stuck in traffic? Don’t despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
Should you have a bad day at work? Think of the man who has been out of work or jobless.
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad? Think of the person who has never known what it’s like to love and be loved in return.
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend? Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for -$10.00 to feed her family.
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance? Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror? Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking “what is my purpose”? Be thankful. There are those who didn’t live long enough to get the opportunity.
Should you find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities? Remember, things could be worse. You could be them!
– Author Unknown
The young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer.
“Lord, I can’t go on,” he said. “I have too heavy a cross to bear.”
The Lord replied, “My son, if you can’t bear it’s weight, just place your cross inside this room.
Then open another door and pick any cross you wish.” The man was filled with relief. “Thank you, Lord,” he sighed, and did as he was told. As he looked around the room he saw many different crosses; some so large the tops were not visible. Then he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall.
“I’d like that one, Lord,” he whispered.
And the Lord replied, “My son, that’s the cross you brought in.”
The incident took place back in 1887 in a small neighborhood grocery store when a middle-aged gentleman, Emanuel Nenger, gave the assistant a $20 note to pay for the turnip greens he was purchasing. When the assistant placed the note in the cash drawer she noticed that some of the ink from the $20 came off on her hands which were wet from wrapping the turnip greens.
She’d known Mr. Nenger for years and was shocked. She pondered, “Is this man giving me a counterfeit $20 note?” She dismissed the thought immediately and gave him his change. But $20 was a lot of money in those days so she notified the police who, after procuring a search warrant, went to Emanuel Nenger’s home where they found in his attic the tools he was using to reproduce the counterfeit $20 notes. They found an artist’s easel, paint brushes, and paints which Nenger was using to meticulously paint the counterfeit money. He was a master artist.
The police also found three portraits that Nenger had painted, paintings that sold at public auction for a little over $16,000! The irony was that it took him almost as much time to paint a $20 note as it did to paint those portraits which sold for more than $5,000 each.
The man who robbed Emanuel Nenger was himself. We do the same whenever we cheat or break the law, including God’s law for illegitimate gain. And while most of us wouldn’t rob another person of his or her material possessions, it is very easy to rob a person’s reputation through idle gossip.
We also rob and cheat ourselves when we don’t give to God and to others in need; whether it is of our time, talents, resources, or love.
– Author Unknown
Kidneys are the organs that are responsible for filtering the blood and balancing fluids in the body. Aside from its basic functions, it also reacts to hormones that are sent by the brain. Kidneys can even make their own hormones, which include the hormone that tells the body to make red blood cells. Furthermore, filtering the wastes out of the blood is one of the main functions of the kidneys. About 400 gallons of recycled blood are pumped through the kidneys everyday. – words.dictionary.net
