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Johnny, a little boy and Sally, his older sister, were visiting their grandparent's farm.
As a gift, Johnny was given a slingshot. He immediately ran off to practice in the woods, but found he could never hit his intended targets. Feeling discouraged, he headed back to the house for dinner.
Near the farmhouse, he saw his grandmother's pet duck. Impulsively, he let a rock fly from his slingshot. It hit the duck square in the head, killing it instantly. Johnny was shocked! In a panic, he frantically hid the dead duck, only to discover that his sister was standing not five feet away. She had silently witnessed everything.
After dinner, Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen."
Johnny did the dishes.
The next morning Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing. Grandma interjected, "I'm sorry but I need help preparing supper." Sally smiled smugly and said, "Johnny told me he wanted to help."
He squirmed, but she raised her eyebrows and then whispered, "Remember the duck?"
Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.
Over the next several days, Johnny found himself doing both his chores and Sally's.
Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer.
He confessed to his grandmother that he had killed her pet duck. She knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."
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Rabbi Brian's comments:
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Each of us is a slave to our own guilt and our own sense that "we are not enough." Most of us struggle with the feeling that we could have always done things better.
This is very human. Experiencing guilt after having made a mistake is what keeps us from making future blunders. But how long are we going to torture ourselves over our past indiscretions?
God--and let's just go with this anthropomorphic notion of God for a moment--has seen everything we have done and still loves us exactly as we are.
(If you don't care for that portrayal of God, the question still remains: Can you find it within yourself the ability to forgive yourself--faults and all?)
With love,
Rabbi Brian
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I first heard this story from my friend, Sister Emilie Ann, the Adult Spirituality Director of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Encino, CA. There are various adaptations to be found on the internet, but I believe the original source to be a book entitled, Will Daylight Come? by Richard Hoefler.
