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Inspirational Stories
Things to remember
The Bishop's Gift
Shake It Off And Step Up
Just a Little Smile
The Choice
Information Please
A Rainy Night in New Orleans
Keep Your Dream
Are You Ready?
A Tragedy or a Blessing?
Things To Remember
I find what I look for in people. If I look for God, I find God. If I look
for bad qualities, I find them. I, in a sense, select what I expect, and I receive it.
A life without challenges would be like going to school without lessons to
learn. Challenges come not to depress or get me down, but to master and to grow
and to unfold thereby.
In the Father's wise and loving plan for me, no burden can fall upon me, no
emergency can arise, no grief can overtake me, before I am given the grace
and strength to meet them.
A rich, full life is not determined by outer circumstances and relationships. These
can be contributory to it, but cannot be the source. I am happy or unhappy
because of what I think and feel.
I can never lose anything that belongs to me, nor can I posses what is not
really mine.
To never run from a problem: either it will chase me or I will run into
another just like it, although it may have a different face or name.
To have no concern for tomorrow. Today is the yesterday over which I had
concern.
To never bang on a closed door: Wait for it to open and then go through it.
A person who has come into my life has come either to teach me something,
or to learn something from me.
- Unknown
The Bishop's Gift
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown
Once a church had fallen upon hard times. Only five members were left: the pastor and four others, all over 60 years old.
In the mountains near the church there lived a retired Bishop. It occurred to the pastor to ask the Bishop if he could offer any advice that might save the church. The pastor and the Bishop spoke at length, but when asked for advice, the Bishop simply responded by saying, "I have no advice to give. The only thing I can tell you is that the Messiah is one of you."
The pastor, returning to the church, told the church members what the Bishop had said. In the months that followed, the old church members pondered the words of the Bishop. "The Messiah is one of us?" they each asked themselves. As they thought about this possibility, they all began to treat each other with extraordinary respect on the off chance that that one among them might be the Messiah. And on the off, off chance that each member himself might be the Messiah, they also began to treat themselves with extraordinary care.
As time went by, people visiting the church noticed the aura of respect and gentle kindness that surrounded the five old members of the small church. Hardly knowing why, more people began to come back to the church. They began to bring their friends, and their friends brought more friends. Within a few years, the small church had once again become a thriving church, thanks to the Bishop's gift.
Shake It Off And Step Up
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule.
The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer
heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever mules do
when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing
the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule,
but decided that neither the mule nor the well was
worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called
his neighbors together and told them what had
happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to
bury the old mule in the well and put him out of
his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the
farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and
the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It
suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel
load of dirt landed on his back...HE SHOULD
SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did,
blow after blow.
"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step
up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to
encourage himself. No matter how painful the
blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old
mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING
IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule,
battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY
OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed
like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because
of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
THAT'S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to
them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness,
or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG
TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE
POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US!
Remember that FORGIVENESS--FAITH--PRAYER--
PRAISE and HOPE...all are excellent ways to "SHAKE
IT OFF AND STEP UP" out of the wells in which we find
ourselves!
- Author Unknown
Just a Little Smile
by: John W. Schlatter, Source Unknown
Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, and that he was having lots of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.
They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. "Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother's sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life."
The Choice
A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white
beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said,
"I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have
something to eat."
"Is the man of the house home?" they asked.
"No," she said, "he's out."
"Then we cannot come in," they replied.
In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had
happened.
"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!" The woman went out and
invited the men in.
"We do not go into a house together," they replied.
"Why is that?" she wanted to know.
One of the old men explained, "His name is Wealth," said pointing to one
of his friends, and said, pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I
am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one
of us you want in your home."
The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was
overjoyed.
"How nice!" he said. "since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let
him come in and fill our home with wealth!"
His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"
Their daughter-in-law was listening from another corner of the house.
She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love?
Our home will then be filled with love!"
"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife."
Go out and invite Love to be our guest."
The woman went out and asked the three old men, "Which one of you is
Love? Please come in and be our guest."
Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two also got
up and followed him. Surprised, the woman asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, why are you coming in?"
The old men replied together: " If you had invited Wealth or Success,
the other two of us would have stayed out, but since you invited Love,
wherever he goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is
Wealth and Success!!!"
"Where there is pain, we wish you peace and mercy. Where there is
self-doubting, we wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work
through it. Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, we wish you understanding,
patience, and renewed strength. Where there is fear, we wish you love,
and courage."
Peace to all.
- Unknown
Information Please
When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our
neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall.
The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box.
I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with
fascination when my mother talked to it. Then I discovered that somewhere
inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person--her name was
"Information, Please" and there was nothing she did not know.
"Information, Please" could supply anybody's number and the correct time.
My first personal experience with this genie-in the-bottle came one day
while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench
in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible
but there didn't seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one
home to give sympathy.
I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at
the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the
parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver
in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, Please," I said into
the mouthpiece just above my head.
A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear, "Information."
"I hurt my finger," I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily
enough now that I had an audience.
"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.
"Nobody's home but me." I blubbered.
"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.
"No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."
"Can you open your icebox?" she asked.
I said I could. "Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your
finger," said the voice. After that, I called "Information, Please" for
everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where
Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk,
that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and
nuts.
Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary died. I called
"Information, Please" and told her the sad story. She listened, then said
the usual things grown-ups say to soothe a child, but I was inconsolable.
I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring
joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of
a cage?"
She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Paul, always
remember that there are other worlds to sing in."
Somehow I felt better.
Another day I was on the telephone. "Information, Please."
"Information," said the now familiar voice.
"How do you spell fix?" I asked.
All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was
nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend
very much. "Information, Please" belonged in that old wooden box back
home, and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that
sat on the table in the hall.
As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations
never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would
recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how
patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a
little boy.
A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in
Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes
on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking
what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information,
Please." Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well,
"Information." I hadn't planned this but I heard myself saying, "Could you
please tell me how to spell fix?"
There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess
your finger must have healed by now." I laughed. "So it's really still
you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me
during that time?" "I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your calls
meant to me? I never had any children, and I used to look forward to your
calls." I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I
asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
"Please do," she said. "Just ask for Sally."
Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered,
"Information."
I asked for Sally. "Are you a friend?" she asked.
"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally has been working
part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks
ago." Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute. Did you say your
name was Paul?"
"Yes," I replied. "Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down
in case you called. Let me read it to you."
The note said, "Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in.
He'll know what I mean." I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally
meant.
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life
have you touched today?
- Unknown
A Rainy Night in New Orleans
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown
It was a rainy night in New Orleans;
At a bus station in the town,
I watched a young girl weeping
As her baggage was taken down.
It seems she'd lost her ticket
Changing buses in the night.
She begged them not to leave her there
With no sign of help in sight.
The bus driver had a face of stone
And his heart was surely the same.
"Losing your ticket's like losing cash money,"
He said, and left her in the rain.
Then an old Indian man stood up
And blocked the driver's way
And would not let him pass before
He said what he had to say.
"How can you leave that girl out there?
Have you no God to fear?
You know she had a ticket.
You can't just leave her here.
You can't put her out in a city
Where she doesn't have a friend.
You will meet your schedule,
But she might meet her end."
The driver showed no sign
That he'd heard or even cared
About the young girl's problem
Or how her travels fared.
So the old gentleman said,
"For her fare I'll pay.
I'll give her a little money
To help her on her way."
He went and bought the ticket
And helped her to her place
And helped her put her baggage
In the overhead luggage space.
"How can I repay," she said,
"The kindness you've shown tonight?
We're strangers who won't meet again
A mere 'thank you' doesn't seem right."
He said, "What goes around comes around.
This I've learned with time - -
What you give, you always get back;
What you sow, you reap in kind.
Always be helpful to others
And give what you can spare;
For by being kind to strangers,
We help angels unaware."
Keep Your Dream
I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch
in San Ysidro. He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising
events to raise money for youth at risk programs.
The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, "I
want to tell you why I let Jack use my horse. It all goes back to
a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse
trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race
track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a
result, the boy's high school career was continually interrupted.
When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he
wanted to be and do when he grew up.
"That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal
of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in
great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch,
showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the
track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot
house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.
"He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the
next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he
received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with
a note that read, `See me after class.'
"The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class
and asked, `Why did I receive an F?'
"The teacher said, `This is an unrealistic dream for a young
boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant
family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a
lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the
original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud
fees. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then the teacher
added, `If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic
goal, I will reconsider your grade.'
"The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He
asked his father what he should do. His father said, `Look, son,
you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is
a very important decision for you.' "Finally, after sitting with it
for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at
all.
He stated, “You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream."
Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, "I tell
you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot
house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that
school paper framed over the fireplace." He added, "The best part
of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher
brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week." When the
teacher was leaving, he said, “Look, Monty, I can tell you this
now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer.
During those years I stole a lot of kids' dreams. Fortunately you
had enough gumption not to give up on yours."
"Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no
matter what."
-Unknown
Are You Ready?
by: Steve Goodier, Source Unknown
In her book Teaching a Stone to Talk (New York: Harper Collins, 1988) Annie Dillard reveals a sad, but poignant story about what happens when we set out unprepared. She tells of a British Arctic expedition which set sail in 1845 to chart the Northwest Passage around the Canadian Arctic to the Pacific Ocean. Neither of the two ships and none of the 138 men aboard returned.
Captain Sir John Franklin prepared as if they were embarking on a pleasure cruise rather than an arduous and grueling journey through one of earth's most hostile environments. He packed a 1,200 volume library, a hand-organ, china place settings for officers and men, cut-glass wine goblets and sterling silver flatware, beautifully and intricately designed. Years later, some of these place settings would be found near a clump of frozen, cannibalized bodies.
The voyage was doomed when the ships sailed into frigid waters and became trapped in ice. First ice coated the decks, the spars and the rigging. Then water froze around the rudders and the ships became hopelessly locked in the now-frozen sea.
Sailors set out to search for help, but soon succumbed to severe Arctic weather and died of exposure to its harsh winds and sub-freezing temperatures. For some twenty years, remains of the expeditions were found all over the frozen landscape.
The crew did not prepare either for the cold or for the eventuality of the ships becoming ice-locked. On a voyage which was to last two to three years, they packed only their Navy-issue uniforms and the captain carried just a 12-day supply of coal for the auxiliary steam engines. The frozen body of an officer was eventually found, miles from the vessel, wearing his uniform of fine blue cloth, edged with silk braid, a blue greatcoat and a silk neckerchief -- clothing which was noble and respectful, but wholly inadequate.
Historians may doubt the wisdom of such an ill-prepared journey. But more important for us is the question, "Are we, too, prepared for the lengthy voyage we've embarked upon, that journey we call "life"? Have we made ourselves ready for all that will surely await us?
Physically and mentally, are we prepared to handle what may come? Do we regularly stay fit through daily study and exercise? Will our minds and bodies be ready to cope with challenges which will arise?
Emotionally and spiritually, are we ready? Do we practice such virtues as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self-control? Will we be emotionally and spiritually ready to embrace an unknown future?
To embark on a journey unprepared can set us up for disastrous results. But the good news is, we can still prepare for ours. And in large part, the success of our voyage will be determined by our regular and systematic preparation.
Are you ready?
A Tragedy or a Blessing?
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown
Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and saved, making plans for their nine children and themselves to travel to the United States. It had taken years, but they had finally saved enough money and had gotten passports and reservations for the whole family on a new liner to the United States.
The entire family was filled with anticipation and excitement about their new life. However, seven days before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the boy but hung a yellow sheet on the Clarks' front door. Because of the possibility of rabies, they were being quarantined for fourteen days.
The family's dreams were dashed. They would not be able to make the trip to America as they had planned. The father, filled with disappointment and anger, stomped to the dock to watch the ship leave - without the Clark family. The father shed tears of disappointment and cursed both his son and God for their misfortune.
Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland - the mighty Tittanic had sunk. The unsinkable ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it. The Clark family was to have been on that ship, but because the son had been bitten by a dog, they were left behind in Scotland.
When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning what he had felt was a tragedy into a blessing.
Although we may not always understand, all things happen for a reason.
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