THE BRICK
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street,
going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting
out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he
saw something.
As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed
into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and
backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.
The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest
kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was
that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?
That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a
lot of money. Why did you do it?" The young boy was apologetic.
"Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to
do," He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would
stop..." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the
youth > pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my > brother,
"he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell > out of his wheelchair and I
can't lift him up."
Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please
help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too
heavy for me." Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow
the> rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the
handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen
handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick
look told him everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and may
God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up
for words, the man simply watched the boy! push his
wheelchair-bound brother down the > sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very
noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented
side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: "Don't
go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at
you to get your attention!" God whispers in our > souls and speaks to
our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to
throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.