You Must Love Him Very Much

I love stories. Jesus used them in a masterful way through parables to teach eternal truths. What follows is a true story that encourages my faith and makes me realize that "our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." Psalm 115:3

Just about 250 years ago a painter named Stenburg, who was well known at the time but has now been mostly forgotten, was painting a young Gypsy girl. As the gypsy girl posed for the painting, her eyes wandered throughout the studio and noticed a painting made for Father Hugo of the Church of St. Jerome-- a representation of the thorn-crowned face of Jesus.

When the young girl stepped down from the platform, she asked the artist to explain the meaning of the picture. The artist, not a believer, struggled to explain who Christ was and what He had done. He did the best he could and was shocked when the gypsy remarked simply: "Oh, sir, you must love Him very much since He has done all that for you!"

The sincere statement pierced the artist's soul, for in fact he did not love Christ at all.

Ironically, he soon did. And when he came to love the Savior, he painted another picture, a painting of the Savior he had come to love, His head encircled by the thorns that had become His earthly crown. Under the completed painting Stenburg inscribed the words:

All this I did for thee;What hast thou done for Me?

He then donated it to the Dusseldorf museum.

One day a rich and careless young nobleman who spent his idle days with wine and careless pursuits happened to notice the painting and its inscription. It made a profound impression on him. The painting powerfully appealed to his emotions and the inscription below struck him to the core of his soul.

He later accepted the challenge of the painting and embraced the thorn-crowned Christ as his Savior. He stated: "I have one passion--it is He, and He alone."

That nobleman was Count Zinzendorf, the founder of the Moravian Brethren. Within a few years they began to send missionaries all over the globe. It was Moravians who led John Wesley to convert to Christ, and Wesley began a movement that changed the world. But it all started with a gypsy girl's innocent question. And so we know that .... "God causes all things to work together for good..."

The Penguin Story

I have started collecting Penguins of all kinds (so when you really feel the urge to purchase a gift for me.....). I have a ceramic flying penguin, a bubble package with penguins decorating it, a penguin that winds up and flips over, a finger puppet penguin, a package of penguin gummy bears, and a large and a small stuffed penguin. Today I will be purchasing The Penguins on DVD.

Why did I start this collection?A story I heard a Christian psychiatrist tell once stuck with me. He was going to be a new father and all his friends were telling him how difficult parenting would be. Well, he had a beautiful little girl, and she was a dream child. Never a peep. Not a problem. So he began to feel pretty good about his talents as a parent.

And then he had a son.A son with ADD. A son who didn't listen. Would not obey. Seemed to do the opposite of everything he was asked.

So in an effort to spend more time with his young son and be a better father, he took him to Sea World and spent the day with him. While at the Penguin Exhibit, he noticed the penguins on clue did everything the trainer asked, and did it immediately.

The psychiatrist (his name is Daniel) thought to himself: "My son has to be at least as smart as a penguin. What am I doing wrong?"

After the show he went up to the trainer and said, "My son doesn't listen. He disobeys everything I ask of him. Why do your penguins listen to you--what am I doing wrong?

"The trainer answered, "I do two things you don't do. One, I notice everything they do. And two, I reward them with a fish if they get even close to doing what I ask. You, on the other hand, only notice your son when he does something wrong. Since he wants to be noticed, you are training him to act up and disobey."

Daniel reports that (aside from the fish reward) he started duplicating this: he began to pay attention and notice his son more. And any time the son came close to obedience, he would reward him. Hugs, praise, thank you, small gifts, etc.

Why do I take the time to write out this story? Why do I now collect penguins (and geese, but that's a story for another time)? To remind me to notice others and encourage (see Hebrews 10:24, Ephesians 4:32) and compliment them. Not a bad idea for us all. So can I send you a penguin to start your collection?