Post by Rhonda on Jan 24, 2006 21:29:12 GMT -5
The Flower
By Pastor John R. Ramsey
For some time I have had a person provide me with a
rose boutonniere to pin on the lapel of my suit every
Sunday. Because I always got a flower on Sunday morning, I really did not
think much of it. It was a nice gesture that I appreciated, but it became
routine. One Sunday, however, what I considered ordinary became very
special.
As I was leaving the Sunday service a young man
approached me. He walked right up to me and said, "Sir, what are you going
to do with your flower?" At first I did not know what he was talking about,
but then I understood.
I said, "Do you mean this?" as I pointed to the rose
pinned to my coat.
He said, "Yes sir. I would like it if you are just
going to throw it away." At this point I smiled and gladly
told him that he could have my flower, casually asking him what he was going
to do with it. The little boy, who was probably less than 10 years old,
looked up at me and said,
"Sir, I'm going to give it to my granny. My mother and
father got divorced last year. I was living with my
mother, but when she married again, she wanted me to live with my father. I
lived with him for a while, but he said I could not stay, so he sent me to
live with my
grandmother. She is so good to me. She cooks for me and takes care of me.
She has been so good to me that I want to give that pretty flower to her for
loving me."
When the little boy finished I could hardly speak. My
eyes filled with tears and I knew I had been touched in the depths of my
soul. I reached up and unpinned my flower. With the flower in my hand, I
looked at the boy and said,
"Son, that is the nicest thing I have ever heard, but you
can't have this flower because it's not enough. If you'll
look in front of the pulpit, you'll see a big bouquet of
flowers. Different families buy them for the church each
week. Please take those flowers to your granny because she deserves the
very best."
If I hadn't been touched enough already, he made one last statement and
I will always cherish it. He said,
"What a wonderful day! I asked for one flower but got a
beautiful bouquet."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By Pastor John R. Ramsey
For some time I have had a person provide me with a
rose boutonniere to pin on the lapel of my suit every
Sunday. Because I always got a flower on Sunday morning, I really did not
think much of it. It was a nice gesture that I appreciated, but it became
routine. One Sunday, however, what I considered ordinary became very
special.
As I was leaving the Sunday service a young man
approached me. He walked right up to me and said, "Sir, what are you going
to do with your flower?" At first I did not know what he was talking about,
but then I understood.
I said, "Do you mean this?" as I pointed to the rose
pinned to my coat.
He said, "Yes sir. I would like it if you are just
going to throw it away." At this point I smiled and gladly
told him that he could have my flower, casually asking him what he was going
to do with it. The little boy, who was probably less than 10 years old,
looked up at me and said,
"Sir, I'm going to give it to my granny. My mother and
father got divorced last year. I was living with my
mother, but when she married again, she wanted me to live with my father. I
lived with him for a while, but he said I could not stay, so he sent me to
live with my
grandmother. She is so good to me. She cooks for me and takes care of me.
She has been so good to me that I want to give that pretty flower to her for
loving me."
When the little boy finished I could hardly speak. My
eyes filled with tears and I knew I had been touched in the depths of my
soul. I reached up and unpinned my flower. With the flower in my hand, I
looked at the boy and said,
"Son, that is the nicest thing I have ever heard, but you
can't have this flower because it's not enough. If you'll
look in front of the pulpit, you'll see a big bouquet of
flowers. Different families buy them for the church each
week. Please take those flowers to your granny because she deserves the
very best."
If I hadn't been touched enough already, he made one last statement and
I will always cherish it. He said,
"What a wonderful day! I asked for one flower but got a
beautiful bouquet."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~