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Topic:
He Did Not Forget Them
If the following story were not true, it would surely be
unbelievable. It is true, however, as you yourself will agree when you
have read it. There was once a great king. His love for his people knew
no limits. Although the kingdom was very large, the king knew every
person by name. Everything the people of the kingdom had was a gift
freely given by the loving king. So, to show their love and appreciation
to the king for all he had done for them, the people decided to have a
great celebration to honor his birthday. Everyone agreed it was a
marvelous idea. Preparations for the celebration were very elaborate. No
expense was spared by the people. They adorned their homes with lights,
decorations, and expensive ornaments. There were parties, dinners, and
celebrations throughout the kingdom. All the people brought gifts for
their friends and family. Many of the gifts which the people gave each
other were quite expensive, involving considerable indebtedness. In
fact, the people spent more on the birthday celebration than they spent
at any other time of the year. Many who were not citizens of the
kingdom, and who did not even know the king, joined in the celebration.
Their celebration of the king's birth was marked by excessive drinking.
Since they did not know the king, they invented a good- natured, fat
fellow in a red suit. He laughed a lot, but never said anything. But
that didn't matter because they were too busy celebrating to listen
anyhow. The great day of celebrating his birth finally arrived, and some
of his people did come bringing gifts and thanking him for his goodness
to them. But to his dismay, most of the citizens never came to his house
at all on the day of celebration. And the gifts brought to the king by
those few who came were very meager when compared with the gifts they
had given themselves. For the most part the people said they had been so
busy with all the celebrations and personal plans that they had
forgotten about the king. Several said they had thought of him, but
really could not work it into their schedules or budgets to come see him
or bring a gift. A few were known to be quite put out when it was
suggested that going to the king's house or remembering him with a gift
was important. Those people who did come to his house and who brought
their loving gifts were welcomed and blessed by the king. But when they
had gone and he was alone again, the king fell to thinking of the vast
numbers of his people who had forgotten and forsaken him. How could they
have forgotten? Had he not loved them all? How could so many of his
beloved people who had found the time and money for shopping and
feasting and partying and decorating and all sorts of celebrations - how
could they possibly be so thoughtless, so ungrateful or selfish? Did
they not know that he, too, had feelings? Was not the purpose of the
birthday celebration originally planned to honor him? When the king was
alone, pondering these questions, he felt the tears well up in his eyes.
And in his loneliness, he wept. One thought brought some hope and
consolation. Even though they had forgotten him, he had not forgotten
them.
Data Source: Fredericksburg Church of Christ, 507 N.
Llano St., Fredericksburg TX 78624
Fair Use.
Presented for educational purposes only.
If these words have been a blessing, please forward them to a friend.
These words were posted at one of Shepherd's Care
Ministries Sites called Wisdom Minute, The site is located at:
http://www.findthepower.com/wisdomminute
Shepherd's Care Ministries Main Site located at:
http://www.findthepower.com/ |
