The Fence

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails   hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence…

Finally the day came when the boy did not lose his temper at all.  He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. 

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. 

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.  He said, you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same.  When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.  You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.  It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. 

A verbal wound is a bad as a physical one. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed.  They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

The Secret

One day, one friend asked another, "How is it that you are always so happy? You have so much

energy, and you never seem to get down." »

With her eyes smiling, she said, "I know the Secret!"

"What secret is that?"

To which she replied, "I'll tell you all about it, but you have to promise to share the Secret with

others."

"The Secret is this:

I have learned there is little I can do in my life that will make me truly happy.

I must depend on God to make me happy and to meet my needs.

When a need arises in my life, I have to trust God to supply according to HIS riches.

I have learned most of the time I don't need half of what I think I do.

He has never let me down.

Since I learned that 'Secret', I am happy."

_The questioner's first thought was, "That's too simplel"

But upon reflecting over her own life she recalled how she thought a bigger house would make her

happy, but it didn't!

She thought a better paying job would make her happy, but it hadn't.

When did she realize her greatest happiness?

Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren, playing games, eating pizza or reading a story, a simple

gift from God.

Now you know it too!

We can 't depend on people to make us happy.

Only GOD in His infnite wisdom can do that.

Trust HIM!

And now I pass the Secret on to you!

So once you get it, what will you do?

YOU have to tell someone the Secret, too!

That GOD in His wisdom will take care of YOU!

But it's not really a secret".

We just have to believe it and do it...

Really trust God!

Keep Your Fork

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live.  So as she was getting her things "in order," she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wished.  She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in .

Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman something very important to her.

"there's one more thing,"  she said excitedly.  "What's that?"  came the pastor's reply.

"This is very important," the young woman continued.

"I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."

The pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.  "That surprises you, doesn't it?"  the young woman asked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.

The young woman explained. "My grandmother once told me this story, and from there on out, I have always done so.  I have also, always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement.  In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder "What's with the fork?"

Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork the best is yet to come."  The pastor's eyes welled up with tears  of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye.

He know this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death.  But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven that he did.

She had a better grasp of  what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge.  She KNEW that something that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and  the fork placed in her right hand.

Over and over, the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?"  And over and over he smiled.

During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died.  He also told them about the fork and about  what it symbolized to her.

The pastor told the people how  he  could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be about to stop thinking about it either.

He was right.

So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you ever so gently that the best is yet to come.

A Different Type Of Prayer

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

  Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student,

balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

  Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought

to get a job!) is a slave to addictions

that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

  Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking

our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go

shopping together.

  Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

 

This Is Good

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.

Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"

To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of.

Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off. And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad of me to do this."

"No" his friend replied, "This is good!"

"What do you mean, "This is good?" How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you."

Situations may not always seem pleasant while we are in them, but the promise of God is clear.  If we love Him and live our lives according to His precepts, even that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be turned by God for His glory and our benefit.

The Bible Or A Diamond Ring

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 study.

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?'

She stormed out of the house, permanently leaving her husband.  Many years passed and the 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 her

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 before.

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, who is in heaven, give what is good 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. Pass it on to others. 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 PACKAGED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT'S BECAUSE IT IS BETTER PACKAGED THE WAY IT IS. ALWAYS APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS; THEY USUALLY LEAD YOU TO BIGGER and BETTER THINGS.

'The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.'

A Good Day

"What Kind of Day Shall I Have?"

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the day ends.

I have responsibilities to fulfill today. I am important.

My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or ...

I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money or

I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan

my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or

I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn't give me

when I was growing up or  ...

I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or  ...

I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or  ...

I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or  ...

I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to school or  ...

I can eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or ...

I can feel honored because Life has provided shelter for my mind, body, and soul.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the

sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

What today will be like is up to me

Have a GREAT DAY  ... unless you have other plans