Thirsty HE asked her WATER, but SHE gave him MILK
 

A GLASS OF MILK

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one dime left, and he was hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk.

He drank it so slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

You don't owe me anything," she replied.

"Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."   He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also.

He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many years' later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case. After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.

She read these words ..

"Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed)

Dr. Howard Kelly

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."

There's a saying which goes something like this:
Bread cast on the waters comes back to you.
The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time.
If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place - And, after all, isn't that what life is all about?
The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which -- To burn.

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I am very thankful to my new friend Ms. XENA (http://www.myspace.com/myoneserenity) for sharing with me the wonderful story of the doctor and the lady above, which I hope and pray that it will be a blessing for many who read it. Thank you Ms. Xena.
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Unlike now, before 2003 I used to find some very needy people just walking inside the company "without any permission," where I am working. Mostly ladies, of whom some were young with kids and some were old or sick, or they were widows, or their husbands were severely ill or were in prisons, at certain times it were men also old, too sick or severely handicapped. They come to beg for some money, but are frequently directed towards the "Exit" door (Acts like begging are prohibited in this country). Only a couple of times I saw someone giving something to them. I would at certain times when I had some changes would give to them if I find them passing to the exit through my side of the office. Days would roll by and when I least expected at certain days my boss would give me some money and say "keep this is for you" it would be KD 30/- or 50/- or 70/- even 100/- (1 KD is equal to US$ 3.40) which is several times much then what I had given to a very need him or her. I would work overtime in the office along with my colleagues during excess work, but only I in the company would get overtime for the hours I did beyond office hours. My colleagues would say to me, we are working in this company for several years, but you started working in this company just recently, still in all these years we have not got any overtime for all the excess hours we have worked but you who only joined in recent years is getting paid overtime. But one thing they did not know, that, the money came to my hands on those times when I thought to myself, if at all I had extra cash in my hand. Glory to God. He never forgets. During that time I had even forgotten that I had given anything to anyone or even assisted someone, for which there are several incidents.

While reading the above story of the doctor and the lady, the passed times revolve around my eyes like a slide show on the screen, my mind recalling all those incidents in perfect clarity, my every breath saying "Thank you God, if it were not for you, I would not have done what I have done, I would not have been what I am now."
All Glory to God alone. Is there enough words to praise His everloving, evercaring name, even if I had a thousand tongue declaring millions of thanksgiving all is very less compared to the love He showers upon me, words fails to describe because he is the best of the best among the best, he is the ultimate caretaker in the whole wide universe.

Recently, on February 2007, I had some need of fresh passport size photos so I left my room to the photo studio one evening while it was dark, on the way while walking on the narrow road just before reaching the main road leading to the studio I meet this unshaved person with average height on the dark left corner with a very sad countenance. He showed his hands towards me, I thought for a moment this person would be searching for a certain place. Since he could not walk faster, I went near him, and he asks me "are you an India-n," I said "yes," he hesitating asks "if I request you something can you help me," I told him "well it would depend on what you ask." He than slowly lifted up his shirt, there was hanging through a rope a bag partly filled with some discharged liquid and a tube going through his shirt toward his stomach. He said that he is having problems with his kidneys and he is undergoing dialysis, and he does not have enough money for the treatment as well as for his living. I had only enough money for the photos + a little extra as cash in hand and for dinner that evening. Looking at him I felt a deep urge to give to him so I took out 1 KD and told him, see I do not have much to give, this is what I can afford at present, he gladly took the money staring at my face with deep gratitude for a long time and said "Thank you very much," I wondered if anyone had given him. I left the place to finish the reason for which I went out. His expression of thanksgiving was worth everything. Who knows what he was going through living in this foreign land far away from his household back in his homeland.

Back home in, India I know a servant of God in my city who is used mightily by God. Some years back he was walking through the streets of Mangalore tired, hungry and lonely as he was new to the city. He did not have enough money to go to a restaurant or buy something to eat and drink. He walked and walked until he finally thought he would stop near a house and ask for some water to drink. So he chose a isolated house far away from other houses. This house was alone in a vast piece of land and trees around covering it. Seeing him sitting near the house a maid servant in the house asked what he wanted, he asked her for a cup of water. Giving him water and seeing his condition she went inside and shortly after a while also brought him something to eat. After finishing, he asked who else is staying in such a big house ? as he could not hear any other voices or see anyone in and around that property except for that maid servant. She said the owner (lady) of the house is there and she is bed ridden paralyzed but able only to talk a little. He asked her if he could see her before he continues his journey again. She went inside and after a while after obtaining the owners (lady) permission took him inside to her. Looking at her condition he kept his hands on her and prayed for the healing of her body, and while he was still praying she sat upright completely healed of her paralysis. She then told him, that all of her children's are in the foreign countries, and there is nobody to care for her, so she had appointed a servant to look after her. She said she has got some land around the city and enough wealth, she requested him to stay in the house, while she moved to her another house in the other piece of her property, and this house was converted to a small prayer hall, she donated that whole property for his ministry, and today there stands a beautiful church.

I just thought what would have happened if the owner (lady) did not allow the servant to give water to the man, what would have happened if she did not allow him to see her inside the house knowing that there were no others in that isolated house except for only two females of which one was paralyzed. He was a complete stranger to the city, he never knew the city language, and then they did not even know that he was Gods servant, all he had was a small bag with the Bible and some clothes.  Was it her love to give to someone "without expecting anything back" no matter who he was which brought Gods great miracle of healing in her life ??? What a pleasure it was for me to see that lady while I started attending that prayer hall (even before the church was built), she was walking as good as any healthy person. And what a pleasure it was for me to be with that man of God for some seasons before I left India to work in Kuwait.

Lets look at this prophet of God called Elijah. He was tired of traveling, while he came to the gate of the city he saw a woman gathering sticks and she was a widow with the only one son. Elijah asked her water to drink, while she went to bring him water he called her and asked her to bring also a piece of bread to eat. She told him that she has only a handful of flour and a little oil, and she is gathering the sticks that she may light fire, make bread for her and her son to eat and die as there was terrible famine in the land. But Elijah told her to give him first and then afterwards she can prepare for herself and her son. He told her till God sends the rain upon the earth her barrel of flour and the cruse of oil will never be empty but always be full. She did as he said without any further comments, and though there was famine in the land the barrel of flour and the cruse of oil in her house were always full till the Lord sent rain upon the earth. But during one those days, the widows only hope and treasure, her son died, but Elijah took the dead body of her son from her and went upstairs where he stretched upon the dead body and cried out to God "O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come to him again." (1st Kings 17:21 – The Bible).  "And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived" (1st Kings 17:22 – The Bible).

What a great reward for a widow for giving some water and a piece of bread to the servant of God. She told him that she and her son was going to die after eating bread made of the handful of flour. But for her love and faith in Gods servant her house never lacked food the whole period of famine till the rain came upon the earth. Moreover she got her only son raised to life.

Human beings forget by reason of being born as mortals, having limitations and it is expected. Still certain people being overtaken by pride make it a purposeful attitude developing it as a lifestyle for their status and occupation "I don't have to remember all those things …………….. I am a …….."

But God won't forget. Jesus said,

"And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." (Mathew 10:42 – The Bible)

God remembers him/her for as tiny as just for giving a cup of cold water to someone in need, for just as tiny as doing a small help to someone in difficulty.

The Bible says,
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down and shaken together, and running over, SHALL MEN GIVE INTO YOUR BOSOM." (Luke 6:38 – The Bible)

I remember this beautiful small song which I have sung several times over the years,

Wide wide as the ocean,
High as the heaven above.
Deep deep as the deepest sea,
Is my saviors love.
I though so unworthy,
Still I am a child of His care.
For His Word teaches me,
And his love reaches me "Everywhere."

A Selfless Love, thank you Jesus for teaching us. You loved us first. Help us to spread that love.

In Christ ... LOVINGLY = Manoj

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