The ending will surprise
you.
Take my Son.....
A wealthy man and
his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their
collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the
great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to
war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier.
The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only
son.
About a month
later, just before Christmas,
There was a knock at the door. A young
man stood at the door with a large package in his
hands..
He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the
soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he
was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died
instantly... He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man
held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist,
but I think your son would have wanted you to have
this.'
The father
Opened the package. It was
a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the
soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was
so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the
young man and offered to pay him for the picture.. 'Oh, no sir, I could never
repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'
The
father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home
he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the
other great works he had collected.
The man died a
few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many
influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having
an opportunity to purchase one for their
collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the
son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this
picture of the son. Who will bid for this
picture?'
There was silence...
Then a
voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings.
Skip this one.'
But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will
somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100,
$200?'
Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to
see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with
the Real bids!'
But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The
son! Who'll take the son?'
Finally, a voice came from the very back
of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10
for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could
afford.
'We have $10, who will bid $20?'
'Give it to him
for $10. Let's see the masters.'
The crowd was becoming angry. They
didn't want the picture of the son.
They wanted the
more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded
the gavel.. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'
A man sitting on the
second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the
collection!'
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm
sorry, the auction is over.'
'What about the
paintings?'
'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this
auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will... I was not allowed to
reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be
auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate,
including the paintings.
The man who took the son gets
everything!
God gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross.
Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The Son, the Son, who'll take
the Son?'
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets
everything!
FOR GOD
SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS
ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH
Please send
this to ten people and back to the one who sent it to
you.
God
Bless.
