Friday, May 30, 2014

I have nothing



Once there was a man who lived in a small town.

He had a small house, a beautiful and happy family and a good work that gave him enough for his needs.

One night a thief entered his house and wanted to rob him.

The man ran to downstairs to meet the thief.

He saw all his belongings that the thief had taken. There were many things that were necessary for him and his family.

How are you going to carry all this, he said to the thief, isn't this going to be very cumbersome for you? 

The thief looked at him.

He had thought the man would threaten him or point him with a gun, or tell him that he had already called the police.

Wouldn't it be easier for you if I gave you all our valuables, the man asked, we don't have much.

But they are easier to carry than these.

Of course, it all depends on you.

And the thief looked with his mouth open how the man's wife brought the little money and jewelry that they had for him.

Is this enough, she asked, or would you like something else?

I know these aren't easy to carry and they must not be that easy to sell or very valuable either.

The thief hid the money and the jewelry to his pockets and with an expert eye chose the most valuable and easiest to sell items to take with him.

Then he was ready to leave.

At the front door he turned back and said, I have to ask.

Why are you doing this?

Who will let the thief go and give everything that is valuable in his house without a fight?

The man smiled.

I do not own anything, he said, what I once had was taken from me and now everything I own belongs to my Lord.

It is not mine to give but His and I would do very badly to try to keep it for myself.

This all I gave you with a humble heart, now it yours to do the same.

The thief laughed, and then he laughed again.

Are you so stupid, he answered, or so naive, to think that I will do something good with all this.

Just because you gave them to me?

That is between you and your Lord, the man told him, I did what my Lord asks me to do.

I obeyed Him because I love Him like He loves me.

I have forgiven you what you did against me, like I was forgiven.

What you do now on is on your conscience, not on mine.

But if you were to ask my opinion, I would say that couple of things and some money aren't worth losing your soul for.

The thief left more puzzled than before the man answered him.

13 comments:

  1. Wow what a great story! That is a great lesson to learn.

    Michelle F.

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  2. Wow.. that was amazing.. wonder what the thief was thinking after all that was done and over..

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    1. I agree. I wonder what he did with the money.

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  3. Great story. It definitely puts our lives into perspective when we know all that we have will not be taken with us when we die.

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  4. I always love your stories. They always put things into perspective for me as well. Thanks for sharing :)

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  5. This one really gets you thinking. You have a way with words.

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  6. I LOVE this story, it is so true. We do not take a U-Haul to heaven with us. They are all material things - HE is our great treasure!

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  7. Nice story with great meaning. Nicely done!

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  8. Amen! I heard this story from our Pastor and in reality the truth of the matter is where your treasure is that is where your heart is too. If your heart belongs to the Lord, then material things are blessings that He gave us to be a good steward of it. So if it things are taken from you we don't die in despair, you still have your heart because the Lord is sufficient and is all we need. Life goes on with joy. The thief will keep stealing because there is a big pit in his heart only God can fill.

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    1. I think this is an universal story with many versions, Jhady. I agree, we all have a pit in our hearts that only God can fill!

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  9. What a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing!

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  10. Love your story! Love is always the way to fill the void…..

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