Saints
Branded
He was a man Louis L'Amour would have written about, had he heard the story….a man who lived in the early days of the settling of the Old Wild West.…….amidst the time when outlaws roamed the hills; when gunfighters sent gunfighters to Boot Hill; the time when rustlers rustled cattle and sheep for their own profit.
But, the twist of this story was this rustler was caught…….and his sentence? ….it was unique, yet fitting…..as he had branded sheep with his brand, his sentence was that he would also be branded…..He would receive the brand "ST" on his forehead, letting everyone know that he was a sheep thief. And the sentence was carried out.
As the story goes, he continued to live in that same community…..and God got a hold of him, and his live began to change. He began to seek to make up for what he had done by unobtrusive helpfulness -- working for neighbors, bringing food to folks in need, generally serving every way he could. People who didn't know him often wondered why he always wore something over his forehead……and yet, as time went on he became known for his gentle spirit; for his helpful nature. He outlived all who had any memory of those early years…..When it came time for his funeral…..and when people saw on his forehead the mark he had so carefully covered for so many years….., someone -- perhaps a young child -- had the courage to ask what "ST" stood for, and someone - perhaps parents -- replied, "We aren't sure, but we think it stands for 'saint.'"
Topics:
Conversion, Saints,
A Saint is ...
"The story is told of a minister who in talking with the children of a congregation asks them what a "saint" is. One of the children looks at the stained glass windows of the church and says, "A saint is a person the sun shines through."