Radio
Leicester Thought for the Day
©
John Denney, 8 January 1999
Headache? Sneezing?
Muzzy-headed? Sweating? Sore throat? Feeling
awful? Sounds as if you might’ve got ‘flu. You’d
be in good company, though, because there’s an epidemic of
it. And if you haven’t got it, I bet you know someone
who has got it. Or had it. And unless your
doctor thinks otherwise, there’s not much you can do but
sweat it out. It’s not much fun. You’re
really on your own with ‘flu. Other people can try to
make you feel better, though.
There was a
mother who was sick in bed with ‘flu one day when her
darling little daughter decided to play nurse. The little
girl fluffed up the pillows in her mummy's bed, brought her a
vase of freshly cut flowers from the backyard, and even brought
her a warm cup of tea. “I didn't know you even knew
how to make tea,” said the mother. “What a wonderful
surprise.” “Oh yes, Mummy,” said the little
girl. “I learned watching you. I boiled the
water, put the tea leaves in, and strained it into a cup. I
couldn't find a strainer, though, so I used the flyswatter.”
“You what!” screamed the mother, horrified. “Oh,
don't worry, Mummy. I didn't use the new flyswatter.”
And I remember an
occasion when my son, then aged four, proudly brought my wife and
me breakfast in bed. He brought us tea and boiled eggs.
Now, we had not at this point in his young life shown him how to
boil a kettle or put a saucepan on to boil. So the tea was
made with cold water, and the eggs, duly immersed for three
minutes by the eggtimer in cold water, were raw. But I can
tell you it was one of the most enjoyable and memorable meals of
my life. Not because of the food and drink, but because of
the love with which it had been prepared.
Just like at
Christmas, when we say “it’s the thought that
counts” on receiving gifts from our loved ones, the motive
behind our actions is more important than what we actually do.
You see, God looks into our hearts and sees our real motives. And He promises a reward in heaven for those who do good things for other people out of love.
So, here’s a
thought: is there a good deed you could do today? -
if you’ve not got the ‘flu, of course!