Sadhu Sundar Singh passed a crowd of people putting out a jungle fire at the foot of the Himalayas. Several men, however, were standing gazing at a tree, the branches of which were already alight. ‘What are you looking at?’ he asked. They pointed to a nest of young birds in the tree. Above it a bird was flying wildly to and fro in great distress. The men said, ‘We wish we could save that tree, but the fire prevents us from getting near to it.’
A few minutes later the next caught fire. Then Sadhu thought the mother bird would fly away. But no! She flew down, spread her wings over the young ones, and in a few minutes was burned to ashes with them.
Let us have love heated to the point of sacrifice.
(Anon)