11/17/2025
Good Monday Morning, My Dear Friends,
I remember a story from years ago told by Dr. Margaret Sangster about a home she once managed for underprivileged children. Once a young boy arrived at the center whose legs were so badly mangled, he couldn’t walk or play with the other children. He simply stood watching them hungrily.
The little boy’s plight troubled Mrs. Sangster; she went to some medical specialists who said the boy could be made to walk again, but it would be expensive. Mrs. Sangster raised the money, and there came a day when the little boy ran into the center to join the other children, strong and well. “Margaret,” Mrs. Sangster said to herself, “you are always saying you can’t see the results of your work. Well, here is something you can see.”
She was sharing that story one evening with a group of friends. “Where do you think that boy is today?” She asked. “A doctor, a lawyer, or a minister?” They wondered. “Perhaps even a governor, or a senator.” “No,” Mrs. Sangster replied, with sadness in her voice. “You would never guess. He is in prison for a crime so terrible that, except for his youth, he would have been tried for his life.”
“I made a serious mistake,” she continued. “I spent so much time teaching that boy how to walk, I forgot to teach him where to walk.”
There are some profound lessons for us in that story. I read a startling statistic recently. Did you know that, in the United States last year, there were a quarter of a million attempted suicides — among teenagers? Remember, this is the generation that has more to satisfy its physical needs than any generation in history. One psychologist described this as the work of despair. They had tried every variety of options and still found themselves jaded and burned out. It’s a reminder that our most serious needs are often not physical, but spiritual.
Jesus once said, “What good will it be to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matthew 16:26). In our desire to help people learn how to walk, let us never forget their need to also know where to walk.
What can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Bruce Jones, Pastor
Imagine Church
