Date: 4/22/2022
Author: Mike Kelley
Title: Mike's Minute
And he (Jesus) said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).
In his short story “The Window,” author G. W. Target tells of two seriously-ill men who occupied the same hospital room. The man by the window was propped up for an hour each day to drain fluid from his lungs. The other man spent his entire day on his back. The two men enjoyed one another’s company and talked for hours about all different types of subjects.
During the hour that the one man sat up in his bed, he would describe to his bed-fast roommate all the things he saw through the window. Each day, great detail would be given to the activities going on outside. He described the park, with its lovely lake and grand old trees. He would tell of children playing and lovers walking through the park outside their window. One day, a beautiful parade went by. Even though he couldn’t hear the music, the man on his back could picture it all as his roommate gave exquisite details.
But it began to feel unfair. Although he enjoyed listening to his friend describe the sights, he began to crave the view for himself. Why should the other man get to enjoy such scenery when he could not? His desire for the bed beside the window became a consuming thought. It even kept him awake at night.
Then, in the darkness of one sleepless night, his roommate began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. He desperately groped for the nurse’s button to call for help. The covetous roommate could have pushed his own button to summon a nurse... but, instead, he waited and watched the old man die.
The following morning, the nurse discovered the man’s death. The standard procedure was carried out and the body was removed. The surviving man then asked to switch beds so he could see out the window. At last, he would have what he deserved.
Painfully and slowly, he struggled to prop himself up for his first look at the park. To his shock, the window looked out to a blank wall.
Fulfillment in life is never achieved with the venom of covetousness.