Idaho faith: As holidays near, remember this amazing story to be a ‘brother like that’

Several years ago, the story goes, a businessman in the Philippines parked his car in his office complex in downtown Manila. There was a street boy nearby, and to earn some money, the child asked if he could watch the man’s car while he was in his office. The gentleman agreed, as he had seen the boy in the area on several occasions.

Several hours later, when the man came back to get in his new Mercedes, he paid the boy some loose change. As he was getting in his car, the street kid said, “Mister, you sure have a nice car!” The businessman was surprised at the child’s compliment, and replied, “Well, thank you!”

The curious child asked, “I bet that car cost a lot of money!” The driver answered, “Oh, yes, it did! But I didn’t buy it, my brother gave it to me!”

The little fellow just stared in amazement for several seconds, before replying, “Oh, I wish. ... ” As those words hung in the air, the driver thought he already knew how the child would finish the sentence. But to his amazement, the little boy finally said, “Oh, I wish I could be a brother like that!”

The driver was so amazed by the little fellow’s statement that he asked, “Have you ever taken a ride in a nice car like this?” When the child shook his head, the businessman said, “Well, get in. Let me give you a ride!” The boy jumped in the front seat and they drove around the block.

The child was so joyful and in awe that he said, “Sir, could we go get my little brother and give him a ride, too?” The businessman just happened to have a little time to spare, so he replied: “Tell me about your brother. Where is he?” The boy pointed toward a poor area nearby called “Tondo,” and asked the driver to pull to the curb and wait while he fetched his brother.

The little boy ran down a filthy alleyway, and a few minutes later came back with his disabled little brother on his back! The driver said, “So this is your little brother! What’s wrong with him?” The child replied, “He had an accident. He’s crippled and can’t walk.” As they drove around the neighborhood and talked, the man found out that the family was so poor, they could not get the little boy the medical care he needed.

The businessman said, “Well, my brother is a doctor. Why don’t we go see him, and see if there is anything he can do to help your brother?” The visit became several examinations, where it was determined that a simple operation could help. The surgery was successful, and subsequent therapy enabled the child to learn to walk again.

This miraculous chain of events was started by a brother who wanted to become someone who was in a position to give away a nice car to his brother.

During this Thanksgiving season, let us be reminded that selfishness is a cesspool of death. Like the Dead Sea, life’s blessings can flow into us, but if there is no flow from us to bless someone else, life becomes stagnant and unfulfilling.

Why not take the hand of the Filipino child in the slums of Manila, and let him teach you how to become a “brother like that”?