From the Pastor's Desk

     I read the story of an old man with his grandson that was taking the produce that they had raised to the city in order to sell them. They were hauling them on a cart pulled by a donkey. They left early that morning because the ambitious grandson wanted to get there first so they might get the best spot to sell their fruits and vegetables.
On the road to the city they passed a stranger whose cart had broken a wheel and the grandfather insisted that they stop and help the stranger, despite the resistance from his grandson to hurry on to the city. After helping the stranger repair his wheel they continued. They then came across another man whose ox had fell in a deep ditch and he could not get him out. The grandfather insisted that they use their donkey to pull the ox out, thus taking more time off their journey. By this time it was around noon and the grandson was so angry he would not even speak to his grandfather because he was sure all the best positions to sell had already been taken by now. When the grandfather ask his grandson why he was so angry he told him that they had wasted so much time helping others that their own families would now suffer because it would be difficult to sell anything this time of day. But the gentle grandfather assured him that when you help others God always returns it unto you in good measure.
When they had topped over a hill that over looked the city all they saw was utter destruction. The city was Hiroshima and the date August 6, 1945. Just a few hours earlier to their arrival the atomic bomb had been dropped on this Japanese city instantly killing over 100,000 people.
As they turned in silence to return home the grandson embraced the lesson he had learned that day. By his grandfather insisting to stop and help others it had saved his life.
“All things work to the good of them that love God and are called to His service”
(Romans 8:28)
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