Life's Lessons: Even kindness should have its limits

Recently, Steve had a car accident. So he put his vehicle in the garage to carry out the repair work. Since he had to go to work daily, he decided that until his car is ready, he will travel by the train. One day, he noticed a homeless guy at the train station at night. Feeling pity for him, he gave him some change.

The homeless guy thanked him for it. Next day, Steve again noticed the homeless guy at the same place. This time he thought he should get him something to eat, so he went outside the station and brought him a meal. 

The homeless guy thanked him for his kindness. But Steve got curious and asked him, “How did you get to this point?”

The vagrant looked at him and with a smile said, “By Showing Love.” Steve didn’t understand, so he asked him, “What do you mean by that?” The homeless man replied, “Throughout my life, I made sure that everyone was happy. No matter what was going right or wrong in my life, I always helped everyone.”

Steve asked him, “Do you regret it?” To which the homeless man replied, “No, it just hurts my soul that the very people I gave the shirt off my back wouldn’t give me a sleeve of that same shirt when I was in need. Son, It is better to build your own house and invite someone in for shelter than to hand them your bricks while you are building yours. Because, one day you would turn around and look at the spot where you had planned to build your house. It would be an empty lot. Then you are the one looking for bricks.”

Steve realised what the homeless guy meant and thanked him for the piece of advice.

Moral: Helping others is not bad. But sometimes, while we are helping those facing difficulties, we forget our own problems and needs. One must remember that sometimes sharing is better than giving away. You can do a lot more by being in a strong position instead of bringing yourself into a weaker situation.