Subject: The Power of a Prayer{Insp}
From: Unicorn (unicorn@indenial.com)
Date: Sun Feb 06 2000 - 03:26:46 EST
"The Weight of a Prayer"
Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look
of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store.
She approached the owner of the store in a most
humble manner and asked if he would let her charge
a few groceries. She softly explained that her
husband was very ill and unable to work, they had
seven children and they needed food. John
Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested
that she leave his store.
Visualizing the family needs, she said: 'Please,
sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can."
John told her he could not give her credit, as she
did not have a charge account at his store. Standing
beside the counter was a customer who overheard
the conversation between the two. The customer
walked forward and told the grocer that he would
stand good for whatever she needed for her family.
The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you
have a grocery list?" Louise replied "Yes, sir."
"O.K." he said, "Put your grocery list on the scales
and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give
you that amount in groceries."
Louise hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then
she reached into her purse and took out a piece of
paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid
the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her
head still bowed. The eyes of the grocer and the
customer showed amazement when the scales
went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring
at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and
said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it." The customer
smiled, and the grocer started putting the groceries
on the other side of the scales.
The scale did not balance, so he continued to put
more and more groceries on them until the scales
would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter
disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from
the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.
It was not a grocery list; it was a prayer which said:
"Dear Lord, you know my needs, and I am leaving
this in your hands." The grocer gave her the groceries
that he had gathered and placed on the scales and
stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and
left the store. The customer handed a fifty-dollar bill
to John as he said, "It was worth every penny of it."
It was sometime later that John Longhouse
discovered the scales were broken; therefore, only
G~d knows how much a prayer weighs.
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