When
my father, Harold Glen Clark, was young, his grandfather told him
stories. So my father, when he became a grandfather, wrote down some of
his own stories and gave them to his grandchildren in the form of a
ninety-page book. He told of experiences such as this:
“I
was thinking about which one thing I had ever done might have pleased
the Lord most. Then it came to me what it might be. It was when I was
sixteen or seventeen years old. My mother, who often took in the
unfortunate, had the care of two grandpas at one time. Someone said to
her in jest, ‘Why don’t you put up a sign “Grandpas wanted!”’ But it
wasn’t funny, because I was assigned to take care of Grandpa Benjamin
Noble, who had to be bathed, dressed, and undressed and helped to the
table to eat. Now, I was a fun-loving young man, and here I was too many
times, nursing Grandpa while a good game of basketball was going on
outside. Once when my pals were calling me, I was inside doing the
tedious chore of taking off his wet pajamas. I was impatient and upset.
Then I felt Grandpa’s trembling hand on mine. I turned and met his
tearful countenance and heard him say, ‘God bless you, my boy. You will
never regret doing this for me.’ I was so sorry I had been resentful,
but my heart was light and my spirit had eagle’s wings. To this day I
have a warm glow about this little service I performed for a quite
helpless grandpa. I suppose doing something for someone which they
cannot do for themselves brings you close to God, because that’s what he
and his Son are doing all the time, out of pure love for us.
“So,
when I step up to heaven’s entrance, this little service might be the
most precious thing I ever did. I might even hear the words, ‘Inasmuch
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have
done it unto me’ (Matt. 25:40).”
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