The Coal Basket & The Bible
An old farmer lived a remote life in the mountains with his young grandson.
Each morning grandpa rose early to sit at the kitchen table and read his Bible. His grandson was keen to copy him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked:
Grandpa - I try to read the Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the BIBLE do?
The Grandfather quietly turned from stoking coal in the stove and replied:
Take this empty coal basket down to the stream and bring me back a basket of water.
The loving boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he returned to the cottage. The grandfather laughed sending him back to the river and said:
You'll have to move a little faster next time.
This time the boy ran quicker, but again the basket was empty before he reached home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and off he went to fetch a bucket.
This doting grandpa replied:
I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough.
He then stepped through the front door to watch the boy try again.
At this point, the boy knew the task's impossibility, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he arrived back.
The boy again dipped the basket into the stream and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was yet again empty. Breathlessly the boy reminded:
See Grandpa, it's useless!
Grandpa then advised:
So you think it is useless? Look again into the basket.
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized it was now very different. The basket had been transformed from a dirty old coal receptacle into a clean fresh basket, inside and out - ready for all types of new tasks it could not have done as a coal basket.
Son, that's what happens when you read the BIBLE. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Jesus' word in our hearts and lives.#
SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLE:
What matters is not how much of the Bible you cleverly recall but how much you humbly allow to wash you.
Today's Soul Snippet:
Unity comes from choosing peace and avoiding rights.
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#an anonymous story reproduced by SoulSupply