Pay It Forward

[Edwin]

This is a wonderful story. I don't know whether it is true or not, but it is great. I have known the guy who posted this since he was a little boy.

You sew what you reap, and you reap more than you sew, whether you sew good or bad, you reap from that. Luke 6:38; " Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, adn shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." There is a theory that if you do bad to other people then someone eventually will do bad to you. If you cause people troubles, then troubles will come to you eventually. If you do good to people, then other people will do good to you eventually. My Dad pulled someone out of the ditch on a snowy pass once with a 1& 1/2 ton Chevy 1950 truck. The guy tried to give him money. My Dad was not rich, worked hard, and struggled for his living, and what he had, but he refused to take money from this guy. The car he was driving and the way he was dressed told us that this guy was probably wealthy, but my Dad refused the money, and told me that he might need to be pulled out of the ditch sometime, and he knew if he did this for this guy, eventually someone would help him with a need that he had. The story below is that kind of story where a kind deed was returned years later.

The story goes:

Worth the read

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Good morning said a woman as she walked up to the man sitting on ground. The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.. "Leave me alone," he growl...ed....
To his amazement, the woman continued standing.
She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away." The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
"What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone. Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked. "No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?" The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile." "Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything." " This is a good deal for you, Jack" the officer answered. "Don't blow it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived...The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this, is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered. "Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business. " Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place." The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled....... "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a godly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?" "What business is that of yours?" I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?" "No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."
"Then perhaps a cup of coffee to go?” Yes, that would be very nice." The cafeteria manager turned on his heel, "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said. "That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this." She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?" Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar." "I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry." "Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry. "I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat." Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy." "I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble... Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons...He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet... If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you." There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he said. "Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank God...... He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways.... "Thank you for all your help, officer," she said. "On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And…And thank you for the coffee."

God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor.

God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close.

[red]

It made me teary eyed....very nice story. Hard to find a good Samaritan.
It's nice to see people that you once helped and prosper on their own.

[Edwin]

I thought that was very interesting that early on the old guy was doing well enough so that he was able to help someone else who was in need. Then eventually he needed help, but he didn't want help. He probably still had some pride left and didn't want that kind of help. But when he realized that this was a person that he had helped at one time, that made the difference. It is always good to help if we are able to do that.