Tom Greco: A glass of milk

I was speaking to some friends about serving others and shared this story told to me by a wonderful pastor years ago.

Howard Kelly sold goods from door to door to pay his way through school. One day he had only ten cents in his pocket. He was hungry and decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk.

He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?” “You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.” As the young boy left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strengthened. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Years later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the woman was healed. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She began to read the following words: “Paid in full with one glass of milk.”

God designed you and me to make a difference. God made you the way you are so you could do what He wants you to do. God makes each of us different so that you and I can make a difference. The call to salvation and the call to service are identical. Whether we are serving a glass of milk or saving a life, you and I are called to serve God and others.

Allow me to close with this one simple, yet crucial question: Are you more interested in being served or more interested in being a servant? What matters is not how long you live, but how you live. It's not the duration of your life that matters, it is the donation of your life that counts.