Presidents Day

 One day while President Abraham Lincoln was on his way to speak to the Congress, he saw a defenseless pig stuck in a deep muddy hole.  After watching the poor animal exert himself to no avail, President Lincoln realized that the ill-fated pig was seriously trapped. 

He felt a great deal of pity for the helpless pig and wondered how he would feel if he was in the pig’s place.  President Lincoln then decided that he had to do something, so he told the driver to stop the carriage.  He got out and was going to help the laboring pig, but his driver stopped him and said, “You wait here Mr. President.  I will get him out.  I don’t want your clothes to get dirty.”  The president replied, “Under the circumstances, the life of this unfortunate animal is far more important than my clothes.”  The driver replied, “Please give me a minute and let me try.  If I cannot get the pig out, I will ask for your help.” 

The driver tried as hard as he could, but without success because the pig was too heavy for one man to extract him from his self-made prison.  Quickly observing the futile attempt to free the pig, the president took off his coat and pitched in to help.  Together, they pulled the pig out and it trotted off to safety, leaving the muddy president behind.

With both of them smelling badly and filthy from head to toe, the driver suggested he take the president back home so that he could change his clothes.  The president replied that he did not want to be late for his meeting with Congress, so he asked the driver to continue their journey.

When they reached the Congressional building, everyone was astounded at the President’s appearance and wondered what had happened.  President Lincoln said nothing, simply taking it all in stride.  However, the driver explained the scenario, telling everyone how the president had saved a helpless pig, and praised Mr. Lincoln for his kindness.  The president then deflected the praise stating that “I’m sure that any of you would have done the same thing,”

This story tells us when you show kindness, love, and a helping hand toward other people or living things, you gain a measure of happiness and satisfaction in return.  You also gather respect from the people around you. 

When we examine the life of Jesus, we see that he provides us with a perfect example of love in action, especially toward those that society overlooks or scorns.  The addict in particular is often viewed as an outcast by the general public.  In the Gospel of Mark, 12:31, Jesus is recorded as saying “Love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than this.” 

At CityLinC, we frequently deal with people who are disadvantaged or marginalized.  In our attempt to help, we regularly must get our hands dirty.  My prayer this week is for us to continue to work together as we show kindness, compassion and respect to every one of our clients.  Even when they are trapped in a pit of bad choices and destructive behaviors.

With love,

Pastor Mike Howard