A church was in
need of a pastor. A candidate came who preached on hell. The next Sunday another
candidate came whose sermon was also on hell, and his fundamental teaching was
the same as that of the first one. When the members of the church were called
upon to vote, they voted for the second candidate. When they were asked why,
the answer was, “The first one spoke as if he were glad that people were
going to hell, while the second seemed sorry for it.”

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Arthur Gordon in
an article entitled “The Rewards of Caring,” tells the story of how
once, as a small boy, he was witness to a near tragedy. At the beach, a woman
stepped off a sandbar into deep, swift water and panicked. At least 20 adults
in bathing suits watched, apparently paralyzed, until suddenly a young man ran
up, plunged in full clothed and brought the woman out.

As Arthur Gordon
described the episode later to his parents, his admiration for the young man
was matched by the contempt he felt for those who failed to act. She was drowning,
and they didn’t even seem to care.

His father looked
at him thoughtfully and said, “The world often seems divided between those
who care and those who don’t care enough. But don’t judge too harshly. It takes
courage to care greatly.”

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