A property owner was looking to buy a saw to cut down a lot of wild forest land on his property. He goes to a chainsaw shop and asks about various chainsaws. The dealer tells him, “Look, I have a lot of models, but why don’t you save yourself a lot of time and aggravation and get the top-of-the-line model. This chainsaw will cut a hundred trees in one day.”
So, the man takes the chainsaw home and begins working on the trees. After cutting for several hours and only cutting two trees, he decides to quit. He thinks there is something wrong with the chainsaw. “How can I cut for hours and only cut two trees?” the man asks himself. “I will begin first thing in the morning and cut all day,” the man tells himself.
So, the next morning the man gets up at 4 am in the morning and cuts and cuts, and cuts till nightfall, and still he only manages to cut only five trees. The very next day the man brings the saw back to the dealer and explains the problem. The dealer, baffled by the man’s claim, removes the chainsaw from the case. The dealer says, “Hmm, it looks fine.”
Then the dealer starts the chainsaw, to which the man responds, “What’s that noise?”
“Didn’t you ever turn the motor on?” asked the shopkeeper with surprise. Many of us do the same with our chainsaw called life don’t we? We start every morning, trying to cut down huge trees called problems and at the end of the day are exhausted with what little we have done. And one day, as the last mournful hymn is sung when we’ll either face the grave or a crematorium fire, and as we give up that very weary body, someone with wings who’s come by will ask, “That’s quite a weary and tired body you put away! Wrinkles all over your face, your spine bent with arthritis and your brain looked like it would jump out of the casket in despair!” “You don’t know what I went through,” you tell the angel sorrowfully. “But we noticed your motor was all shiny and unused!” says the angel. “What motor?” you ask wearily. “There it is,” says the angel, right next to your body, look at its wheels of generosity that never rolled towards others, ball-bearings of love that have become rusty, a rotor of compassion that was never shown, and a stator with windings of forgiveness that though waiting patiently to receive the current to function, felt none!” “What current?” you ask.
“Ah, the current that comes from the cord you never connected to Divine power,” says the angel, as it wishes you goodbye..!”
—bobsbanter@gmail.com
