Can you believe that Thanksgiving is over? In rushes the Christmas season!!!! I think this is the perfect story to transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas. This story is one that has always had a rather haunting effect on me. But it's worth the read!
Chuck Swindoll has a close friend who knows this young attorney in Texas of a sizable law firm. He worked for a traditional kind of boss who had a thing for Thanksgiving. Every year the boss would go through a sort of ritual; at this large walnut table he would place a series of turkeys for each member in the law firm. This was not just a simple "pick a turkey if you want one" but a formal setting where your turkey would be placed in front of you and when the time came for you to receive yours, you would step up to the turkey and express how grateful you were to work for the firm and acknowledge the gift of this turkey and the special holiday of Thanksgiving.
Now the problem was, this attorney was single and had no use for a large turkey. First, he didn’t know how to fix it and second, even if he did cook it what would he do with all the meat? But because it was expected ,he took the turkey every year. What he didn’t know is that one year his close friends stole his turkey and in its place put a paper mache turkey and weighed it down with lead to make it feel like a real turkey. They put a real neck and tail on it so that it looked just like the real thing but it was a bogus bird through and through.
When it came his turn, he stepped up and picked up the bird and announced how grateful he was to be with the firm and to receive the turkey on this memorable day of Thanksgiving. Later that day he got on the bus heading for home and sat down with the turkey on his lap wondering what in the world he would do with it. Later down the line a man got on the bus looking a little worn down and discouraged and happened to sit down on a vacant seat next to this attorney. They stuck up a conversation talking about Thanksgiving and by and by the attorney learned that this stranger was out job hunting having no luck. The stranger had a large family and was wondering what he would do for Thanksgiving tomorrow. The attorney thought that this was his day to do a good deed! He would give the man his turkey! Then he had a second thought. This man was not a free loader, he was not a bum and it would probably break his pride to give the man the turkey so he decided he would sell it to him. "How much money do you have?" the attorney asked. The man responded. " I have a couple of dollars and a few cents." "I would like to sell you this turkey!" and he placed it in his lap. "Sold!" the young attorney announced and proceeded to take the man's last couple dollars. The man was moved to tears, thrilled to death that his family would have Thanksgiving at home with a turkey!! He got off the bus and waved to the attorney with kind words. "God bless you!" "Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!" "I will remember you forever!" and the bus drove off.
Now the stranger got home and announced to the family, "You will never believe the nice man I met today!" and he set the turkey down on the table and began to unwrap it only to find a paper bird weighed down with lead!!!! The next day at the office the attorney comes in and his friends are dying to know about the turkey. You can imagine the look on their faces when they heard the nice story of the stranger on the bus? Chuck tells us that from what he understands the attorney and his friends searched the bus lines for the next week for that man who as far as he knows still entertains a misunderstanding about a guy who sold him a fake turkey for two bucks.
Now the problem was, this attorney was single and had no use for a large turkey. First, he didn’t know how to fix it and second, even if he did cook it what would he do with all the meat? But because it was expected ,he took the turkey every year. What he didn’t know is that one year his close friends stole his turkey and in its place put a paper mache turkey and weighed it down with lead to make it feel like a real turkey. They put a real neck and tail on it so that it looked just like the real thing but it was a bogus bird through and through.
When it came his turn, he stepped up and picked up the bird and announced how grateful he was to be with the firm and to receive the turkey on this memorable day of Thanksgiving. Later that day he got on the bus heading for home and sat down with the turkey on his lap wondering what in the world he would do with it. Later down the line a man got on the bus looking a little worn down and discouraged and happened to sit down on a vacant seat next to this attorney. They stuck up a conversation talking about Thanksgiving and by and by the attorney learned that this stranger was out job hunting having no luck. The stranger had a large family and was wondering what he would do for Thanksgiving tomorrow. The attorney thought that this was his day to do a good deed! He would give the man his turkey! Then he had a second thought. This man was not a free loader, he was not a bum and it would probably break his pride to give the man the turkey so he decided he would sell it to him. "How much money do you have?" the attorney asked. The man responded. " I have a couple of dollars and a few cents." "I would like to sell you this turkey!" and he placed it in his lap. "Sold!" the young attorney announced and proceeded to take the man's last couple dollars. The man was moved to tears, thrilled to death that his family would have Thanksgiving at home with a turkey!! He got off the bus and waved to the attorney with kind words. "God bless you!" "Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!" "I will remember you forever!" and the bus drove off.
Now the stranger got home and announced to the family, "You will never believe the nice man I met today!" and he set the turkey down on the table and began to unwrap it only to find a paper bird weighed down with lead!!!! The next day at the office the attorney comes in and his friends are dying to know about the turkey. You can imagine the look on their faces when they heard the nice story of the stranger on the bus? Chuck tells us that from what he understands the attorney and his friends searched the bus lines for the next week for that man who as far as he knows still entertains a misunderstanding about a guy who sold him a fake turkey for two bucks.
Thank You, Father, for this special time of year! Sometimes our gifts to others are empty or misunderstood. Thank you, Father, for the very special gift that You shared with the whole world; a gift that is misunderstood by many, but a gift that is far from empty!
1 comment:
Yes we have so much and too much to be thankful and not enough sense or gratitude to give thanks for HIS greatest gift to us all.
henry
Post a Comment