The Pebble
by John Trent
"It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." ~Moliere
I once heard a story of a little boy and his father. The father was a businessman who was always busy. One day, he was preparing to leave for work and began to explain his schedule to his wife, when his young son, Billy, started tugging on his pants leg.
Ignoring his son, Billy tugged harder and started to shout, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy.” Getting annoyed, the father told Billy not to interrupt. He was in a hurry to leave. He had to go to work.
Being very persistent, Billy continued to tug on his father’s pant leg. By now the father was getting angry. He turned towards Billy, started to raise his voice, leaned towards his son and, at which point, Billy grabbed his father’s tie and pulled him to his knees.
Shocked and surprised, the father was struggling for words……..then, Billy held out his hand. He looked into his father’s eyes and said, “Daddy, I want you to have this beautiful present I found for you”. Cupped in his small hand was tiny smooth pebble.
With a tear in his eye, the father gladly accepted the tiny gift and hugged his son. Billy turned and went outside to play.
At what point in our lives did we lose the ability to see the wonder of a shiny pebble or the willingness to give up on accomplishing something meaningful? Throughout our ‘tween’ years we are coached and taught to be adults. Slowly and methodically our childhood disappears into faint and fond memories, only for each of us to be inserted into the hustle and bustle of our daily adult existence.
Like Billy, we need to find our “shiny pebble” and share it with someone we love. We need to regain our childlike persistence and never give up on what we believe important, even though it might seem insignificant to others. Then, and only then, like Billy's father will we re-learn the importance of what's directly in front of us and return to innocence.
Wishing each of you a wonderful day and may God’s grace bless you all.
I once heard a story of a little boy and his father. The father was a businessman who was always busy. One day, he was preparing to leave for work and began to explain his schedule to his wife, when his young son, Billy, started tugging on his pants leg.
Ignoring his son, Billy tugged harder and started to shout, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy.” Getting annoyed, the father told Billy not to interrupt. He was in a hurry to leave. He had to go to work.
Being very persistent, Billy continued to tug on his father’s pant leg. By now the father was getting angry. He turned towards Billy, started to raise his voice, leaned towards his son and, at which point, Billy grabbed his father’s tie and pulled him to his knees.
Shocked and surprised, the father was struggling for words……..then, Billy held out his hand. He looked into his father’s eyes and said, “Daddy, I want you to have this beautiful present I found for you”. Cupped in his small hand was tiny smooth pebble.
With a tear in his eye, the father gladly accepted the tiny gift and hugged his son. Billy turned and went outside to play.
At what point in our lives did we lose the ability to see the wonder of a shiny pebble or the willingness to give up on accomplishing something meaningful? Throughout our ‘tween’ years we are coached and taught to be adults. Slowly and methodically our childhood disappears into faint and fond memories, only for each of us to be inserted into the hustle and bustle of our daily adult existence.
Like Billy, we need to find our “shiny pebble” and share it with someone we love. We need to regain our childlike persistence and never give up on what we believe important, even though it might seem insignificant to others. Then, and only then, like Billy's father will we re-learn the importance of what's directly in front of us and return to innocence.
Wishing each of you a wonderful day and may God’s grace bless you all.
