The old man..!
Views From Abroad
Robert Clements
Sunday, July 10, 2011 - The old man was staring at me, and I stared back at him, but he continued staring even more fixedly at me, “Something wrong with you?” I asked angrily. “Something wrong with you!” he also said with anger in his voice.
“No, there’s something wrong with you!” I said. “No, there’s something wrong with you,” he repeated. I stared at the old man as he stared back at me, “I’ve seen you before,” I said. “I’ve seen you before,” he said back at me. I looked away and tried to figure out where I’d seen him, from the corner of my eye I saw him also doing the same. Even he seemed to think we knew each other. Yes, I was sure I’d seen him before, he looked like he’d come from some old age home, I looked back at him, and noticed he was also doing the same, and I looked away.
His eyes were dark and brooding, and lined with worry and care, “Poor chap,” I thought to myself, “I’m sure I’ve met him when he was younger, but problems and difficulties seemed to have burdened him to such an extent that he looked gaunt and ancient. I wondered what worries they were that weighed him down, “Didn’t he know a God he could trust, someone he could go to and lay all his burdens on?” I wondered whether I should turn and tell him about the same God, who would take over all his problems, but as I was turning to talk to him, I suddenly realized that there was not much I could talk to him about.
“When did you talk to God, Bob?” I asked myself, “When did you last throw all your burdens on Him, and what are you going to say to this old man, when you haven’t been handling your burdens the right way yourself lately. “The right way?” I asked myself. “Yes, the right way,” I replied, “What is the right way Bob?” “The right way,” I told myself, “Was to take away difficult situation, every small or big plight I felt myself in, and kneel down and hand it all over to the One above.”
“And when was the last time you did that Bob?” I asked myself, “Haven’t you suddenly been thinking those worries you are weighed down with are problems nobody can solve except yourself?” “Yes,” I agreed, “What a fool I’ve been!” I looked up and wept. “Take my problems Lord!” I cried, “And handle my life also!” I felt a weight lifted from my heart and a load off my mind. I felt light and free, and I laughed loudly. “Now let me tell the old man what to do!” I said and turned around.
A young man was staring at me and I stared back at him, he stared even more fixedly back at me. He was smiling. “You are smiling!” I said. “You are smiling!” said the joyous face of the man looking at me his smile widening. “Ha, ha, ha!” I laughed out loud. “Ha, ha, ha!” laughed the face in the mirror as we both turned and laughed to a God above who had taken our cares away.
—Email:bobsbanter@gmail.com
“No, there’s something wrong with you!” I said. “No, there’s something wrong with you,” he repeated. I stared at the old man as he stared back at me, “I’ve seen you before,” I said. “I’ve seen you before,” he said back at me. I looked away and tried to figure out where I’d seen him, from the corner of my eye I saw him also doing the same. Even he seemed to think we knew each other. Yes, I was sure I’d seen him before, he looked like he’d come from some old age home, I looked back at him, and noticed he was also doing the same, and I looked away.
His eyes were dark and brooding, and lined with worry and care, “Poor chap,” I thought to myself, “I’m sure I’ve met him when he was younger, but problems and difficulties seemed to have burdened him to such an extent that he looked gaunt and ancient. I wondered what worries they were that weighed him down, “Didn’t he know a God he could trust, someone he could go to and lay all his burdens on?” I wondered whether I should turn and tell him about the same God, who would take over all his problems, but as I was turning to talk to him, I suddenly realized that there was not much I could talk to him about.
“When did you talk to God, Bob?” I asked myself, “When did you last throw all your burdens on Him, and what are you going to say to this old man, when you haven’t been handling your burdens the right way yourself lately. “The right way?” I asked myself. “Yes, the right way,” I replied, “What is the right way Bob?” “The right way,” I told myself, “Was to take away difficult situation, every small or big plight I felt myself in, and kneel down and hand it all over to the One above.”
“And when was the last time you did that Bob?” I asked myself, “Haven’t you suddenly been thinking those worries you are weighed down with are problems nobody can solve except yourself?” “Yes,” I agreed, “What a fool I’ve been!” I looked up and wept. “Take my problems Lord!” I cried, “And handle my life also!” I felt a weight lifted from my heart and a load off my mind. I felt light and free, and I laughed loudly. “Now let me tell the old man what to do!” I said and turned around.
A young man was staring at me and I stared back at him, he stared even more fixedly back at me. He was smiling. “You are smiling!” I said. “You are smiling!” said the joyous face of the man looking at me his smile widening. “Ha, ha, ha!” I laughed out loud. “Ha, ha, ha!” laughed the face in the mirror as we both turned and laughed to a God above who had taken our cares away.
—Email:bobsbanter@gmail.com
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