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Bernard, nine
years-old, was a
boy who did not
care about
anything. He had
a good heart,
but he was very
lazy, especially
when it came to
his obligations.
He did not like
to study or to
perform any
tasks that were
his
responsibility:
ie.: tidy up his
room, put his
toys away, take
a shower.
The mother had
been worried
about him, not
knowing how to
make the child
understand the
need to be more
responsible.
Until one day,
she entered
Bernard's room
and saw
everything was a
mess. The bed,
which she had
made early on,
was undone;
dirty clothes
mixed with the
clean and ironed
ones; toys and
books were
scattered on the
floor. Amid all
that confusion,
sitting on the
carpet, the boy
listened to
music.
- Bernard! - the
mother called
once, twice,
three times
without result.
Walking up to
him, she took
his earphones
out of his ear,
while the boy
turned,
startled.
- What happened,
Mom?
- Want to go for
a ride? The day
is beautiful!
Surprised, he
gladly accepted.
He expected to
receive a
reprimand but
there was an
invitation for a
ride! Not bad!
...
Not even the
mother knew why
she had made
that invitation!
However, she
trusted in God.
She always asked
Jesus to help
her to educate
the child. She
loved him very
much and did not
know exactly
what to say to
him at that time
and she did not
want to quarrel
with him,
creating an
unpleasant
situation.
Suddenly, she
had a great
idea! Walking
through the
quiet streets,
they talked.
Noting the homes
as they were
passing by, she
commented:
- My son, you
know we can be
compared to a
house?
- A house, mom?
- the boy did
not understand
where his mother
was going with
that
conversation.
- That's right,
son! A house!
Imagine yourself
as a house. A
spiritual house!
As each person's
a spirit, and it
is the spirit
that drives the
body, we can be
considered as a
Spiritual House
. Have you seen
how houses are
different from
each other?
Small and big,
beautiful and
ugly, dirty and
clean ...
Becoming more
interested, he
commented:
- It is true,
mom. Look at
this one... what
a beautiful
home! It is new
and well cared
for. That one,
on the other
hand, although
large, is ugly
and dirty.
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Then, they
passed by a
house that was
scary! It was an
abandoned wooden
house with weed
growing around
it, the windows
were falling off
and the gate was
broken. Bernard
felt a strange
uneasiness!
Standing in
front of the
house, watching
it, suddenly,
they saw a large
snake coming out
of the bush and
slithering
towards the
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street.
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They were
frightened. The
mother held
Bernard's hand
and they walked
away, quickly!
Recovering from
the scare, the
mother thought
for a moment and
said:
- My son, did
you see how the
material house
needs care, to
be comfortable
and make us feel
good? With our
Spiritual House
the same thing
happens. It also
is not free from
care, cleaning,
maintenance, to
be always with
the best
appearance
possible.
- With the
material house,
fine! But with
the spiritual
house, how do we
do it, Mom?
- Caring for and
cleaning it so
that dirt does
not stick. The
inside of our
heads, that is,
our mind, can't
be washed and
dusted, as a
house can. The
only way to keep
it clean is to
remove bad
thoughts and
negative
feelings like
anger, jealousy,
envy, laziness,
ill will,
everything that
can represent
dirt. In the
cotton of
patience, you
put a little
goodwill water
and then polish
with the oil of
love.
Everything will
be pretty clean
and shiny.
- I would like
to be like that,
Mom! Pretty
clean and shiny!
- I'm glad, my
son. You will
only benefit
from it. You
will realize
that everything
in your life
will change for
the better. You
will see people
with different
eyes and will
want to help
them; you will
not fight
anymore at
school, you will
be careful with
your stuff and
our house. Do
you know why?
Because LOVE
will direct your
life.
Listening to his
mother speaking
with such
affection,
Bernard
remembered the
mess in his
room. He lowered
his head in
shame,
recognizing:
- Mom, I need to
get started by
cleaning my
room, right?
The mother
stroke her son's
hair and
considered:
- The cleaning
of our Spiritual
House will be
reflected in the
cleaning of the
material house.
Bernard returned
home and went to
his room
determined to
get everything
in order,
ashamed of the
mess.
The mother was
impressed with
the house they
had seen, which
was for sale.
She was
interested. The
house was large,
had a good
structure and
with a good make
over it could be
excellent. When
her husband came
home, she told
him about the
house and he
looked for the
owner. The price
was good and
they closed the
deal.
They began the
make over. For
months, the
confusion was
great. Every
afternoon,
Bernard went to
see the progress
on the old
house, and he
helped
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on what
he
could.
Thus, he
followed
the
changes
in the
house.
One day it was
ready. They went
to see it.
Bernard,
excited, looked
at it with
enthusiasm.
- Mom! Look how
our home is
beautiful! ...
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It really was.
Restored with
new paint,
windows and the
gate repaired,
the well-kept
garden full of
colourful
flowers at the
entrance. It was
perfect! |
Bernard was
proud to have
collaborated
with the work.
- Mom, you were
right. We can
improve all
things. No one
would recognize
this house from
that other
falling apart.
But it took a
lot of patience,
goodwill,
dedication and
great love.
Giving the boy a
hug, she said:
- And a lot of
work, my son!
You put much
effort during
these months.
Actively
participated in
the make over,
helping the
builders. Over
time, you will
realize that
many times, your
inner house may
need a make
over, but the
great restorer
of our lives is
Jesus! Stay
connected to Him
and you will not
need to fear
anything.
Meimei
(Psychographed
by Celia Xavier
de Camargo on
06/06/2011.)
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