Unconditional Love
A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.
Mom and Dad, I?m coming home, but I?ve a favor to ask. I have a friend I?d like to bring home with me.
Sure, they replied, we?d love to meet him. There?s something you should know the son continued. He was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on the land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.
I?m sorry to hear that son, maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.
No mom and dad, I want him to live with us, son said the father, you don?t know what you?re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can?t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He?ll find a way to live on his own.
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco Police.
Their son had died after falling from a building they were told. The police believed it was suicide.
The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the City morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn?t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.
The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don?t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable.
We would rather stay away from people who aren?t as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.
Thankfully, there?s someone who won?t treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.
There?s a miracle called Friendship that dwells in the heart. You don?t know how it happens or when it gets started but you know the special lift it always brings and you realize that Friendship is God?s most precious gift!
Friends are very rare jewel, indeed they make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word or praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.
