SINCERELY SCOTTY by Walter Scott: A Glass of Milk

A Glass of Milk

You can never tell when a little kindness that you do for someone will be returned many times over.  Consider this story:

One day a poor boy, selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.  He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.  However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.  Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.  She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk instead. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.”
    He replied, “Then I thank you from my heart.”  As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also.  He had been ready to give up and quit.
    Years later that young woman became critically ill.  The local doctors were baffled and they finally sent her to the big city, where a specialist was called in to study her rare disease.  Dr. Howard Kelly was the specialist called in for the consultation.  When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.  Immediately, he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.  Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her.  He recognized her at once and returned to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life.  From that day on he gave special attention to the case.
    After a long struggle, the battle was won.  Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval.  He looked at it, wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.  She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all.  Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.  She read these words…
“Paid in full with one glass of milk”
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: “Thank You, God, that Your love has spread through human hearts and hands.”

There are many such stories of kindness.  Several TV stations in Houston would regularly air stories of how a business or doctor would do something to help a person or family in need.  Of course, they were getting some good publicity for their action and perhaps that’s not really the same thing.  Nevertheless, a kindness was done and maybe it restored some faith in the people needing the help.

However, I feel there is less kindness expressed today than in the past.  Perhaps it is because of the fear of retribution, a kindness misunderstood.  Or could it be due to the fact that the “every man for himself” attitude is so prevalent?  I really get irritated over the frivolous lawsuits people file as well as the lawyers that take such cases.   A few years ago, the 11th US Circuit court of Appeals ruled that Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore must remove a Ten Commandments monument the size of a washing machine from the lobby of the state judicial building…..because it violated the Constitution’s prohibition on government promotion of religion!  What happened to this nation “under God”?  What happened to freedom of worship?  It strikes me that the Ten Commandments make good sense – even if they weren’t in the Bible! Sadly, Judge Moore lost his position for refusing to remove the monument.

I wish we could return to the time where it was perfectly safe and proper to stop and change a tire for a lady stuck on the side of the road or offer to take someone to the nearest station where help was available.  I wish we could return to a time where we had prayer in schools and at sporting events.  Unfortunately, that time is not now. 

I think we should now pray: “Please God, spread Your love through the hearts of mankind – we cannot do it without You.”        Sincerely, Scotty

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