Mike sent the following story with a great message. I hope it speaks to you the way it did to me:
“Did you hear about the recent incident at the Temple Zoo? Their famous gorilla, Gabe, died unexpectedly and he had been one of the biggest attractions–especially for the children.
Well, since the busy season for the zoo was just around the corner and they did not have time to get a new gorilla, one of the zookeepers came up with this idea. They had one of the other zookeepers dress up in a complete gorilla outfit and pretend to be Gabe. This zookeeper really took to this new job and he got to be quite good at swinging from the branches, eating bananas and was fooling everyone.
One day, however, he was a bit too enthusiastic. He ended up swinging a bit higher than expected and let go at the wrong time. He ended up sailing out of his cage and directly into the cage of the lion. He gulped and was barely about to squeak out a tiny “help!”
The lion sauntered over to him, got really close and whispered back, “Shut up, or we will both lose our jobs!”
The message is very simple: We are all in this together.
No matter what you think about the state of the world, like it or not, we are all in this together. That means our actions impact others, and their actions impact us.
The good news is that Jesus gave us a guide to living in a world where we are all in this together. He said: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
Today, make sure you are courteous, kind, and patient. Know that the smallest thoughtful gesture you show someone can have a huge ripple effect that makes all the difference in the world.
Prayer: Dear Gracious Heavenly God, help me rise above the pettiness and vindictiveness of this world to live the way your Son taught. Make me patient, kind, and wise. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Always err on the side of grace. That is, unless your wife has been chopping up Brussels sprouts and putting them in your food, then, all bets are off.
I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins
Daily Devotionals by Dr. Tom Robbins 