This story is one of the eighty fables and parables found in Beatitales: 80 Fables about the Beatitudes for Children. Get your copy here.
A well-respected, churchgoing man had fallen into some bad health. His wife, children, and grandchildren became very concerned. They convinced him to go see a doctor to find out the root cause of his illness.
The man loved his family very much. He would do anything for them. He went to the doctor, even though he didn’t like being in the hospital. The doctor ran a lot of tests and brought the man and his wife in to talk about the results.
The doctor told the man that he had a very bad heart. He said they would need to do some extensive surgery. There wasn’t a very good chance that he would survive.
His wife was in tears upon hearing the news, but the man seemed in good spirits still. She asked him why he wasn’t angry or sad.
“The doctor said I had a bad heart. I found that funny. How can I have a bad heart when it is so full of love for you and our children and our grandchildren? How can my heart be bad when it is filled with the love of God?”
This didn’t cheer up his wife very much at the time, but she remembered the conversation many months later after the man passed away.
It was then that she told her children and grandchildren about what he had said. “His heart was full of love for you,” she told them. “I have no doubt he is sitting before the Lord right now with that smile we all know and love.”
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
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