“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” — Proverbs 11:24-25
It is often said that the measure of a man’s character is not what he gets from his ancestors, but what he leaves his descendants. I couldn’t resist this poignant and beautiful anonymous poem from God’s Little Devotional Book that makes this truth so well:
If I can throw a single ray of light across the darkened pathway of another;
If I can aid some soul to clearer sight of life and duty, and thus bless my brother;
If I can wipe from any human cheek a tear,
I shall not have lived my life in vain while here.
If I can guide some erring one to truth, inspire within his heart a sense of duty;
If I can plant within my soul of rosy youth a sense of right, a love of truth and beauty;
If I can teach one man that God and heaven are near,
I shall not then have lived in vain while here.
If from my mind I banish doubt and fear, and keep my life attuned to love and kindness;
If I can scatter light and hope and cheer, and help remove the curse of mental blindness;
If I can make more joy, more hope, less pain,
I shall not have lived and loved in vain.
If by life’s roadside I can plant a tree, beneath whose shade some wearied head may rest;
Though I may never share its beauty, I shall yet be truly blest;
Though no one knows my name, nor drops a flower upon my grave,
I shall not have lived in vain while here—for this is what I gave.
Maranatha!
For All Of My Devotionals Click Here—Maranatha!
