![](https://5sparrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/lemonade.jpg)
It was hot that year. I remember one evening in particular. I had gone outside to sit and relax in the shade on the porch. I had an ice-cold lemonade on the table beside me and had just lowered myself into a comfortable chair.
It was then that it happened. I saw him from a distance as he came down the street. “Oh, don’t stop at my house,” I thought as I watched him. So many neighbors were out in their yards. Why couldn’t he stop at one of their houses?
![poorman](https://5sparrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/poorman.jpg)
He came on slowly. Finally, he stopped at the gate and looked towards my house. The thought that I might be hidden in the shadows was crushed when he said, “Please, could you give me a drink?”
It seemed as if not only the eyes of the beggar but the eyes of the whole neighborhood were on me. How could I get him to go away quickly? was my only concern.
![](https://5sparrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/plants-1.jpg)
I looked around and noticed an old pink cup next to my garden hose spigot. I used it to water my potted plants. I jumped up and grabbed the cup. It was a little dirty and there was a crack at the top which was made a little worse when I tapped it against the wall to shake off the dirt. I quickly filled it and then practically shoved it into the hands of the man. I tried not to notice his pleading eyes. I looked down at my feet and said, “Keep the cup.”
Then I went back into the house, forgetting my lemonade on the porch.
My business did well and every few years I moved into a newer and grander house. I was a diligent and well-respected member of the community. I went to church every Sunday and, though I often found myself thinking about my business, I was always very well dressed and reverent.
From time to time, however, I noticed the word “reward.” That caught my attention and I would think about the kind of reward I would have. I had been so faithful in coming to church, so diligent, so virtuous.
![](https://5sparrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/house-1.jpg)
Then one day, I suddenly found myself walking down a road which seemed familiar but I couldn’t understand why.
As I panted up the hill (It was a hot day!), I noticed a house with a gate in the distance. I saw various people going up to it and being welcomed inside.
I was very hot and tired by the time I reached the gate. I was hoping that the owner of the house would invite me in. I could barely see him as he sat in the shadows on his porch.
“Please, sir, could you give me a drink?” I called out. As he came out from the shadows, I thought he looked familiar but I couldn’t place him.
He slowly went over to the spigot and filled something that he had in his hand. As he came toward me, at first, I didn’t notice what he had in his hand. I was too busy looking at his eyes. They were full of sadness as he said, “I apologize, my friend. This is all I have to give you.”
I looked down at his hand and saw a dirty and cracked garden cup.
![](https://5sparrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pinkcup.jpg)