ALL I HAVE NOW

CHRIST IN WINTER: Reflections on Faith for the Years of Winter… ©

Continuing to think about the encounter of Jesus with “the rich young ruler,” who “went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions,” [Mark 10:17-31] I recall a story of Bishop Everett Palmer…

As a boy growing up in the West, during high school and college summers, he worked for a very wealthy rancher, on a huge ranch. The rancher was very generous, to the point of supporting entirely by himself the work of his brother as a missionary doctor. But economic times went bad for ranchers.

Years later, when the rancher was an old man, and his former young ranch hand was a bishop, Palmer sought out his old mentor. He had lost everything. He was living in a hut, on the last little piece of land he still owned of his once-huge ranch, in what when Palmer worked there was just a line shack.

After they had talked a while, Palmer said, “I guess maybe now you wish you hadn’t given away so much.” The man looked totally perplexed. “Oh, Everett,” he said, “all I have now is what I gave away.”

John Robert McFarland

johnrobertmcfarland@gmail.com

I tweet as yooper1721.