EACH MORNING, GRANDPA WAS UP EARLY
SITTING AT THE KITCHEN TABLE READING
FROM HIS OLD WORN-OUT BIBLE. HIS
GRANDSON WHO WANTED TO BE JUST LIKE
HIM TRIED TO IMITATE HIM IN ANY WAY HE
COULD. ONE DAY THE GRANDSON ASKED,
"PAPA, I TRY TO READ THE BIBLE JUST LIKE
YOU BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT, AND
WHAT I DO UNDERSTAND I FORGET AS SOON
AS I CLOSE THE BOOK. WHAT GOOD DOES
READING THE BIBLE DO?" GRANDFATHER
QUIETLY TURNED FROM PUTTING COAL IN THE
STOVE AND SAID, "TAKE THIS COAL BASKET
DOWN TO THE RIVER AND BRING BACK A
BASKET OF WATER" THE BOY DID AS HE WAS
TOLD, EVEN THOUGH ALL THE WATER LEAKED
OUT BEFORE HE COULD GET BACK TO THE
HOUSE. GRANDFATHER LAUGHED AND
SAID, "YOU WILL HAVE TO MOVE A LITTLE
FASTER NEXT TIME," AND SENT HIM BACK TO
THE RIVER WITH THE BASKET TO TRY AGAIN.
THIS TIME THE BOY RAN FASTER, BUT AGAIN
THE BASKET WAS EMPTY BEFORE HE
RETURNED HOME. OUT OF BREATH, HE TOLD
GRANDFATHER THAT IT WAS "IMPOSSIBLE
TO CARRY WATER IN A BASKET," AND HE
WENT TO GET A BUCKET INSTEAD BUT
GRANDFATHER SAID "I DON'T WANT A BUCKET
OF WATER; I WANT A BASKET OF WATER. YOU
CAN DO THIS. YOU'RE JUST NOT TRYING HARD
ENOUGH," AND HE WENT OUT THE DOOR TO
WATCH THE BOY TRY AGAIN. AT THIS POINT,
THE BOY KNEW IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE, BUT HE
WANTED TO SHOW GRANDFATHER THAT
EVEN IF HE RAN AS FAST AS HE COULD, THE
WATER WOULD LEAK OUT BEFORE HE GOT FAR
AT ALL. THE BOY SCOOPED THE WATER AND
RAN HARD, BUT WHEN HE REACHED
GRANDFATHER THE BASKET WAS AGAIN
EMPTY. OUT OF BREATH, HE SAID, "SEE PAPA,
IT'S USELESS!" THEN GRANDPAW SAID "SO
YOU THINK IT IS USELESS, LOOK AT THE
BASKET." THE BOY LOOKED AT THE BASKET
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME HE REALIZED THAT
THE BASKET LOOKED DIFFERENT. INSTEAD OF
A DIRTY OLD COAL BASKET, IT WAS CLEAN.
GRANDPAW SAID "SON, THAT'S WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN YOU READ THE BIBLE. YOU
MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND OR REMEMBER
EVERYTHING, BUT WHEN YOU READ IT, IT WILL
CHANGE YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT. THATS
THE WORK OF GOD IN OUR LIVES. TO CHANGE
US FROM THE INSIDE OUT AND TO SLOWLY
TRANSFORM US INTO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON
AND THAT IS WHY ITS IMPORTANT TO TAKE
TIME TO READ A PORTION OF GOD'S WORD
EACH DAY IT WAS THEN THAT GRANDPAW
TOLD ME WHAT I MUST DO!!!
"LIVE SIMPLY, LOVE GENEROUSLY, CARE DEEPLY, SPEAK KINDLY, LEAVE THE REST TO GOD"
SITTING AT THE KITCHEN TABLE READING
FROM HIS OLD WORN-OUT BIBLE. HIS
GRANDSON WHO WANTED TO BE JUST LIKE
HIM TRIED TO IMITATE HIM IN ANY WAY HE
COULD. ONE DAY THE GRANDSON ASKED,
"PAPA, I TRY TO READ THE BIBLE JUST LIKE
YOU BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT, AND
WHAT I DO UNDERSTAND I FORGET AS SOON
AS I CLOSE THE BOOK. WHAT GOOD DOES
READING THE BIBLE DO?" GRANDFATHER
QUIETLY TURNED FROM PUTTING COAL IN THE
STOVE AND SAID, "TAKE THIS COAL BASKET
DOWN TO THE RIVER AND BRING BACK A
BASKET OF WATER" THE BOY DID AS HE WAS
TOLD, EVEN THOUGH ALL THE WATER LEAKED
OUT BEFORE HE COULD GET BACK TO THE
HOUSE. GRANDFATHER LAUGHED AND
SAID, "YOU WILL HAVE TO MOVE A LITTLE
FASTER NEXT TIME," AND SENT HIM BACK TO
THE RIVER WITH THE BASKET TO TRY AGAIN.
THIS TIME THE BOY RAN FASTER, BUT AGAIN
THE BASKET WAS EMPTY BEFORE HE
RETURNED HOME. OUT OF BREATH, HE TOLD
GRANDFATHER THAT IT WAS "IMPOSSIBLE
TO CARRY WATER IN A BASKET," AND HE
WENT TO GET A BUCKET INSTEAD BUT
GRANDFATHER SAID "I DON'T WANT A BUCKET
OF WATER; I WANT A BASKET OF WATER. YOU
CAN DO THIS. YOU'RE JUST NOT TRYING HARD
ENOUGH," AND HE WENT OUT THE DOOR TO
WATCH THE BOY TRY AGAIN. AT THIS POINT,
THE BOY KNEW IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE, BUT HE
WANTED TO SHOW GRANDFATHER THAT
EVEN IF HE RAN AS FAST AS HE COULD, THE
WATER WOULD LEAK OUT BEFORE HE GOT FAR
AT ALL. THE BOY SCOOPED THE WATER AND
RAN HARD, BUT WHEN HE REACHED
GRANDFATHER THE BASKET WAS AGAIN
EMPTY. OUT OF BREATH, HE SAID, "SEE PAPA,
IT'S USELESS!" THEN GRANDPAW SAID "SO
YOU THINK IT IS USELESS, LOOK AT THE
BASKET." THE BOY LOOKED AT THE BASKET
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME HE REALIZED THAT
THE BASKET LOOKED DIFFERENT. INSTEAD OF
A DIRTY OLD COAL BASKET, IT WAS CLEAN.
GRANDPAW SAID "SON, THAT'S WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN YOU READ THE BIBLE. YOU
MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND OR REMEMBER
EVERYTHING, BUT WHEN YOU READ IT, IT WILL
CHANGE YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT. THATS
THE WORK OF GOD IN OUR LIVES. TO CHANGE
US FROM THE INSIDE OUT AND TO SLOWLY
TRANSFORM US INTO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON
AND THAT IS WHY ITS IMPORTANT TO TAKE
TIME TO READ A PORTION OF GOD'S WORD
EACH DAY IT WAS THEN THAT GRANDPAW
TOLD ME WHAT I MUST DO!!!
"LIVE SIMPLY, LOVE GENEROUSLY, CARE DEEPLY, SPEAK KINDLY, LEAVE THE REST TO GOD"
