thumb do blog Bishop Macedo
thumb do blog Bishop Macedo

The punctuation is up to us

A rich man was very ill and in agony. He asked for pen and paper and wrote: “Leave my property to my sister never to my nephew never pay the baker never give to the poor.”

He died before punctuating it. Who inherited the fortune? There were four prospective heirs.

1) His nephew punctuated it as follows:
Leave my property to my sister? Never! To my nephew. Never pay the baker. Never give to the poor.

2) His sister came next. She wrote:
Leave my property to my sister. Never to my nephew. Never pay the baker. Never give to the poor.

3) The baker asked for a copy of the original. He looked out for himself, and wrote: Leave my property to my sister? Never! To my nephew? Never! Pay the baker. Never give to the poor.

4) Then the poor of the city came. One of them, who was very smart, interpreted it this way: Leave my property to my sister? Never! To my nephew? Never! Pay the baker? Never! Give to the poor.

Moral of the story:

Life can be interpreted and lived in several ways. It’s up to us to “punctuate” it. And that’s what makes all the difference.

In regards to faith, God has given us a blank cheque, which says, “It’s written.” It’s up to those who believe to fill out the cheque the way they want.

“What do you want Me to do for you?” (Jesus)