The subject of the preacher’s Sunday sermon was “Forgive Your Enemies”.
After a lengthy presentation, he asked the congregation how many of them were willing to forgive their enemies.
About half of the congregation held up their hands.
Not satisfied with this response, the preacher harangued on for another twenty minutes and and then repeated his question.
This time he received a response of about 80 percent of the congregation having the capability to forgive their enemies.
Still unsatisfied with the congregation’s response, the preacher lectured on for yet another 15 minutes and again repeated his question.
With time marching on due to this lengthy sermon, the thoughts of many of the congregation had turned to their Sunday dinner, resulting in all those in the church responding with their ability to forgive.
That is, all except one elderly lady who was seated at the rear of the church.
“Mrs. Jones, are you not willing to forgive your enemies?” the preacher asked her.
“I don’t have any enemies”, the elderly lady replied.
“Mrs. Jones, that is very unusual. May I ask how old you are?”
“Ninety three”, she replied.
“Mrs. Jones, would you please come down to the front and tell the congregation how a person can live to be ninety three and yet not have an enemy in the world”.
The little sweetheart of a lady tottered down the aisle, very slowly, turned around to face the congregation and said, “It’s easy, really. No secret, I just outlived the SOB’s”.
Image used under a Collective Commons License from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UFV_honorary_doctorate_holder_and_donor_Jean_Scott,who_is_100_years_old,_at_the_UFV_Changing_Lives_awards_ceremony.(7997787248).jpg
