by Don Emmitte |
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Who
may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your presence on your
holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking
the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to slander others or harm
their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise
persistent sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the LORD and keep
their promises even when it hurts. Those who do not charge interest on the
money they lend, and who refuse to accept bribes to testify against the
innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.
(Psalm 15:1-5 NLV). Valentine’s Day brings so many
different memories to us. I
remember the days when our boys were little and they would bring their
valentine’s home from school. It
was the tradition of the elementary school they attended to have their
students exchange these little cars within their classes. It was certainly
a good way to help them focus on friendship and gratitude.
I found the following folktale recently and it reminded me of the
principle found in today’s reading. The
Tortoise and the Eagle very rarely met, for Eagle was at home in the
clouds and Tortoise was at home on the ground. One day, though, Eagle
heard how generous and kind Tortoise was and decided to pay him a visit.
Tortoise was indeed kind and generous, for he invited Eagle in and fed him
a most lavish meal. Eagle gorged on the delicious food and ate for several
hours. In fact, the meal was so delicious that Eagle came back again and
again, eating like a glutton each time. And every time he flew off he
would laugh to himself, "Ha ha! I have shared Tortoise's hospitality,
but he can never reach my tree to share mine!" Eagle
was so greedy that soon the other animals began to speak of it. One day
Frog went to Tortoise to offer him his advice. "Tortoise,"
said Frog, "Eagle is taking advantage of your generosity. Every time
he leaves your home he laughs to himself and says, "Ha ha! I have
shared Tortoise's hospitality, but he can never reach my tree to share
mine!" Then Frog told him what to do. The next time Eagle came to
visit, Tortoise said, "Please, brother, let me give you a gourd full
of food to take home to your wife and children." Eagle was quick to
accept this gift and waited impatiently while Tortoise went off to collect
it. In the kitchen, where Eagle couldn't see, Tortoise climbed into the
gourd and his wife helped to pile food on top of him. When they were done,
he was no longer visible, and the gourd appeared to be overflowing with
tasty treats. Eagle took the gourd home and dumped the contents out on his
floor. Out rolled Tortoise who said, "Hello, Eagle. I thought it
would be a nice change to visit you. I look forward to sharing a meal with
you." Eagle was furious and said, "You will be the only meal
here, Tortoise!" But as he tried to peck the little creature, he only
managed to hurt his own beak on Tortoise's hard shell. "I
see what kind of friend you are, Eagle, to threaten to eat me," said
Tortoise. "I think it would be best for you to take me home
now." "I'll throw you to the ground and watch you smash into
little pieces," screamed the bird, and flew off into the sky with
Tortoise in his claws. Unfortunately for Eagle, Tortoise had clamped onto
his leg with an unbreakable grip and wouldn't let go. Eagle tried to fling
him off but couldn't. He shrieked and begged. "Oh please, please,
Tortoise! Let go of my leg!" Tortoise simply replied, "I will be
happy to do so when you have returned me to my home." Eagle tried and
tried to throw Tortoise off, but in the end, he had no choice but to
return him to his home. Once there, Tortoise released his hold and calmly
walked to his door. Before going back in, he turned to Eagle and said,
"Friendship requires the contribution of two people. I welcome you
into my home and you welcome me. Instead, you have chosen to abuse this
hospitality. You need not return here anymore." And then he went
inside, leaving Eagle to think about his selfishness. Genuine friendship is much more
than exchanging a card at Valentine’s! What kind of friend are you? |
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