I had just picked up my son
from the sheltered workshop for the handicapped where he works part-time. We
were driving home listening to music on the radio when suddenly a news break
came on. It appeared that a reality television star had just wasted 10 million
dollars on a wedding for a marriage that lasted 72 days. The next story
predicted that BILLIONS of dollars could be spent on negative attack ads in the
coming election year. I sighed and wondered about this weird and crazy world we
live in. "Is there any hope for us at all?," I thought.
"Dad, I shared my cookies!" I turned my head to see my
son’s sparkling eyes. He started telling me how he had shared the cookies I had
put in his lunch box that morning with some of the other handicapped people who
worked at the sheltered workshop. I smiled and told him what a great boy he was.
Then I realized that God had instantly answered the question in my mind with the
sweet voice and loving example of my own son.
Is there any hope for us at all? Yes there is! It lies
in the beautiful souls of people like my son. It lies in the caring hearts of
people like you and me. It lies in the common sense of all of us who know that
it is better to give than to receive, that people are far more important than
profits, and that when you stop to help even one person you change the world for
the better.
Yes it is a crazy and weird world we live in. It is a
world of warped values where inequality and stupidity often go hand in hand.
Yet, in this world live so many caring souls, so many loving hearts, and so many
joyful spirits shining their light for all to see. There is hope for us all
then. Our choices are clear and the path of love lies straight before all of us.
All we need to do is take it and walk it in joy. All we need to do is grasp the
hands of those we meet along the way, stroll together in God’s sunshine, and
maybe even share a few cookies together.
Joseph J. Mazzella joemazzella@frontier.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.