There were two young boys living in an orphanage; James was 12 and Mark was seven. James was Mark’s idol but James ignored him, he thought Mark was too young to hang around him. Mark grew angry and resentful and promised when he grew up he would pay James back for ignoring him.

Ten years had passed and the young boys grew into men, James, the town’s sheriff, became a pillar of society, while Mark, an outlaw, became a scourge on society. James neighbors spoke well of him and Mark decided to come to town to find out what kind of person James really was since he only heard great things about him. James was happy to see Mark but even though they laughed and talk about old times, Mark still had resentment and anger against James.

One day James told Mark he was going to meet a stagecoach and asked if he would like to go along. Mark agreed because he had his outlaw friends ready to attack the stagecoach. Mark changed his mind and knocked James out so that he would not get hurt. Then he met his outlaw friends and told them that they could not rob the stagecoach because James would never let them rest; he would hound them the rest of their lives.

When James regained conscious he was going to arrest Mark but instead he listened while Mark explained why he knocked him out. Mark told James that originally he wanted to see James hurt because when they were younger he idolized James and it hurt him to know James did not want to be friends. Mark explained that he was hurt when James finally left the orphanage because he felt as if James left him behind as well. He harbored anger and resentment against James but all of that changed when he found out what type of person James had truly become. He began to see for himself that James was no longer a hurtful person, instead he was a man that loved and was loved in return by those who knew him. Mark stretched out his hand to shake James hand and said, “You are a good man and I would be honored if you would be my friend.”

Sometimes the things that we do can change a person’s mind even though we do not know that we are doing it. Be blessed in Jesus’ name. Mary Simmons can be reached at aboxofloveKVD@ gmail.com