May 6

CHARITY is helping my fellow man

Having nothing, and yet possessing everything.  ~ 2 Corinthians 6:10 NIV

A king once fell gravely ill.  He grew worse with each passing day.  His servants were ready to give up hope when the king’s old nursemaid spoke up.
“If you can find a happy man,” she said, “take the shirt from his back, and put it on the king – then he will recover.”
His messengers rode far and wide throughout the kingdom, and yet nowhere could they find a happy man.  No one seemed content; everyone had some kind of complaint.  If a man was rich, he didn’t have enough.  If he was not rich, it was someone else’s fault.
Finally one night the king’s son was passing a small cottage when he heard someone say:  “Thank you, LORD.  I’ve finished my daily labor, and helped my fellow man.  I’ve eaten my fill, and now I can lie down and sleep in peace.”  The prince rejoiced in having found a happy man at last.  He gave orders to take the fellow’s shirt to the king, and of course pay the owner as much money as he wished.
But when the king’s messengers went into the cottage, they found the happy man was so poor he had no shirt at all.  ~ Author unknown

Learning how to work and learning how to be satisfied often seem to go hand in hand.  What needs to change in your life in order to be a happy man with a shirt on your back?

The wise man carries his possessions within him.~ Bias of Priene

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