A Gift Not Packaged As We Expect
A married lady was expecting a birthday gift from her husband. For many months she had admired a beautiful diamond ring in a showroom, and knowing her husband could afford it, she told him that was all she wanted. As her birthday approached, this lady awaited signs that her husband had purchased the diamond ring.
Finally, on the morning of her birthday, her husband called her into his studyroom. Her husband told her how proud he was to have such a good wife, and told her how much he loved her. He handed her a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, the wife opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the wife’s name embossed in gold.
Angrily, she raised her voice to her husband and said, ”With all your money you give me a Bible?” and stormed out of the house, leaving her husband.
Many years passed and the married lady was very successful in business. She managed to settle for a more beautiful house and a wonderful family, but realized her ex-husband was very old, and thought perhaps she should go to visit him. She had not seen him for many years. But before she could make arrangements, she received a telegram telling her that her ex-husband had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to her. She needed to come back immediately and take care of things.
When she arrived at her ex-husband’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled her heart. She began to search through her ex-husband’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as she had left it years ago.
With tears, she opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. Her ex-husband had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7:11, ”And if you, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?” As she read those words, a tiny package dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a diamond ring with her name engraved on it, the same diamond ring which she saw at the showroom. On the tag was the date of her birth, and the words...’LUV U ALWAYS’...
How many times do we miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? I trust you enjoyed this. Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for... IF YOUR GIFT IS NOT PACKED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT’S BECAUSE IT IS BETTER PACKED THAT WAY! ALWAYS APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS; THEY USUALLY LEAD YOU TO LET THIS GREAT LESSON FLOW .....
Manual from God
Few years ago, there used to be a very skilled and reputed motor-mechanic who could repair any model of the Ford Cars in his town in States. One day, after having got one such car repaired, he went for a trial run to the country side. Suddenly the car was stopped and was not at all going on in spite of all his best efforts. After several hours of his untiring job, he got frustrated.
At the same time, a very gray haired man happened to pass-by. He stopped his car after noticing the frustration of this mechanic and offered his help voluntarily. This mechanic refused to take his help thinking that who on earth would know better than he. After a lot of persuasion by the old man, mechanic reluctantly agreed to inspect his vehicle. This old man took very little time to set the vehicle right and handed over the car to mechanic.
The old man was about to start his car. The mechanic, still in amazement, wanted to know who the old man was. The old man smilingly replied, ”I am Henry Ford, who designed the model of your car”. The mechanic could not utter a word ...........
Morale from the incident:
Many a time we want to solve our problems without referring to the manual given by God. We forget to follow the instructions given over there. We do not go to the Chief Architect and Designer of our lives...
NO LIMITS......
Anger And Love
While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked stone & scratched lines on the side of the car.
In anger, the man took the child’s hand & hit it many times, not realizing he was using a wrench.
At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child with painful eyes asked his father, ”Dad when will my fingers grow back?”
The man was so hurt and speechless. He went back to the car and kicked it a lot of times. He was devastated by his own actions. sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches. And, what did he see?
The child had written: ”I LOVE YOU DAD”.
The next day that man committed suicide.
Anger and Love has no limits, so let the river of life flow in Limits so that this fresh water stream is never scattered.
I can sleep when the wind blows.
Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received A steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. ’Are you a good farm hand?’ the farmer asked him. ’Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,’ answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, Hired him.
The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, ’Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!’ The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, ’No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows .’ Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.
To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.
******
When you’re prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?
Be A Lotus
There was an old sage who was walking through the mountains with his young disciple. The disciple was always talking about the family he had left behind to become a recluse.
The sage would often tell him that it was not proper for a recluse to remember his family ties. Either he should go back to them and give up asceticism or he should forget them altogether. But the disciple could do neither. He yearned for spirituality so he didn’t want to go back. At the same time his thoughts continued to go back to the delicious food his mother cooked and to the childish pranks he once played with his little sister. Despite the efforts and lectures made by the sage, the boy was somewhat hanging midway.
They continued to walk. Dusk fell and the duo sat down to rest. The sage fell asleep, so the boy too lay
down to take a nap.
After a while the boy was rudely awakened by the voice of his guru shouting, ’Help me, this tree is not leaving me. It won’t let go. Help! Help!’ The boy was startled to see the sage hugging the trunk of an old tree stump. The sage shouted again, ’Help me! The tree is not leaving me.’
The boy tried to pry away the fingers of the sage from the dried up tree trunk, but the grip of the sage was far too strong. After having tried desperately, the boy said, ’Sir, why don’t you let go of the tree trunk. You are holding on to it so tightly. It is not doing anything to hold you. You are refusing to let go.’
Immediately the sage left the tree and said to the
boy, Likewise, you too are holding on fast to the world, to the memories of your family. No amount of effort from my side can help you to detach yourself.?
Detachment from unnecessary ties, just ties you down unnecessarily. All of us don’t have to renounce the world. We just have to do our duty; yet remain unattached. The world does not cling to us; it is we who cling on. We refuse to let go. The world shall be the same even if we are not there. It always has been.
Let us not dwell upon how important we are to the world, but upon how unimportant the world is to us. We have to understand that attachment is like a handcuff we have clamped upon ourselves. But where is the key? It is with us. We need to use the key to unlock the handcuff and set ourselves free.
HORSES
There is a field with 2 horses in it. From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.
This alone is amazing.
If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.
Attached to the horse’s halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.
As you stand and watch these two horses, you’ll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.
When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn’t too far behind to hear the bell.
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.
He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are like the the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.
Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way...
Good friends are like that... you may not always see them, but you know they are always there. And remember...be kinder than necessary. Everyone we meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly, and,
Leave the rest to God....
Remain Blessed!
Duty is God, Work is Worship...
THE STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE OF THE PRAYING HANDS
Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg , lived
a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food
on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a
goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade
and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.
Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two the elder children,
Albrecht and Albert, had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their
talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be
financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the
Academy.
After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two
boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would
go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his
brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won
the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the
other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or,
if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.
They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer
won the toss and went off to Nuremberg .
Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four
years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an
immediate sensation. Albrecht’s etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils
were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he
graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his
commissioned works.
When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held
a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant
homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and
laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the
table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice
that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words
were, ”And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn.
Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care
of you.”
All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where
Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head
from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, ”No ..no
....no ..no.”
Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced
down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands
close to his right cheek, he said softly, ”No, brother. I cannot go to
Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the
mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed
at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly
in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast,
much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a
brush. No, brother ...for me it is too late.”
More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer’s hundreds of
masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors,
charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great
museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people,
are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer’s works. More than merely
being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in
your home or office.
One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed,
Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s abused hands with palms
together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful
drawing simply ”Hands,” but the entire world almost immediately opened
their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love
”The Praying Hands.”
The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second
look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one - no
one - - ever makes it alone!
Put Down The Glass of Worries
A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it.
He held it up for all to see; asked the students,’ How much do you think this glass weighs?’
’50gms!’ .... ’100gms!’ ......’125gms’ ......the students answered.
’I really don’t know unless I weigh it,’ said the professor,’but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?’
’Nothing’ the students said.
’Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?’ the professor asked.
’Your arm would begin to ache’ said one of the students.
’You’re right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?’
’Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress; paralysis;
Have to go to hospital for sure!’ventured another student; all the students laughed.
’Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?’ asked
The professor. ’No’ the students said.
Then what caused the arm ache & the muscle stress?’
The students were puzzled.
’Put the glass down!’ said one of the students.
’Exactly!’ said the professor.’ Life’s problems are something like this.
Hold it for a few minutes in your head; they seem OK.
Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache. Hold it even longer & they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything.
It’s important to think of the challenges (problems) in your life, but
EVEN MORE IMPORTANT to ’put them down’ at the end of every day before you go to sleep.
That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh & strong & can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!’
Remember to ’PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY!
