All of us receive e-mail forwards, usually filled with annoying “pass or you’ll get hit by a bus” pleas at the conclusion. Most days at my office, I receive at least 4 or 5 from friends, family and colleagues. Some, I delete as soon as I receive them, some, I read and forget about, but sometimes I find ones that are so good that I have to share them with someone.
This is one such forward:
A holy man was having a conversation with God one day and said, “God, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.”
God led the holy man to two doors.
He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly and appeared to be famished. Each person sitting had a spoon with a very long handle strapped to their arms. While this allowed them to scoop the soup from the pot, they could not scoop the soup back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
God said, “You have seen Hell.”
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, “I don’t understand…”
“It is simple,” said God. “It requires but one skill.”
“You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.”
This story really hit home for me, not only because of its Christian principles, but also because it embraces what is so crucial to our organization. We are many volunteers with many hands that together help to feed those that need it, and in the process develop wonderful relationships with those that we serve.
I would always share my spoon with you. Who are you sharing yours with?
Yes, this IS an inspirational story that makes a point that we all need to hear … and it’s nice to know that you delete the ones with those insulting magic spells or guilt trips tacked on at the end (“if you’re not ashamed of Jesus, spam everyone you know with this or He’ll be ashamed of you”). What garbage!