The Tasks Of Man

I’ve collected many stories over the years via email, snail mail and published materials. Most everything I use has no author attached to it, but I do save all my sources for future reference. Some of them sit around for some time before I use them. Then suddenly they seem to fit the thought of my column perfectly. I received a story the other day, that made another story stand out, and I thought it appropriate to use them together. They are love stories, one for the body and one for the soul. They are rather lengthy, so we’ll share one this week and the other next week.
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. “Your son is here”, she said to the old man. She repeated her statement several times before the patient’s eyes opened. Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. Reaching out his hand, the Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man’s limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement. The nurse brought a chair so the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night, the Marine sat there in the dimly lit ward, holding the old man’s hand and offering words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested the Marine move away and rest awhile, he refused. Whenever the nurses would come and go, the Marine was oblivious of their presence. The noises of the hospital – the clanking of oxygen tanks, the laughter of the night staff as they greeted one another, the cries and moans of other nearby patients, did not move him. Now and then, the nurse heard him say a few gentle words; the dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night. Towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited. When she returned she started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her. “Who was that man?” he asked. Startled, the nurse said, “I thought he was your father!” “No, he wasn’t,” the Marine replied. “I’ve never seen him before in my life.” “Why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?” inquired the nurse. “I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he need his son, but his son wasn’t here. When I realized he was too sick to tell whether I was his son, or not, and knowing how much he needed me I stayed. I came here last night looking for a Mr. William Gray. His son has been killed in Iraq, and I have been sent to inform him.” The eyes of the nurse filled with tears, “The hand of the man you held and comforted all night is Mr. William Gray.”
[Acts 17:-28] Paul was speaking to a group of Greek philosophers about their concept of “The Unknown God”. He told them that all things came from God and that God is not served by human hands or is in need of anything, “ …because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” “…and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” As an earthly father determines what is best for his family and moves to locations that will most benefit the family, so God directs us to places where we will seek and serve Him to the benefit of others, in His name. Like the Marine, we all have physical responsibilities. I have learned to let God sidetrack me, because when He directs my footsteps I receive a physical and spiritual reward. Plus, the task at hand gets completed in a better way, than my way.