How Heavy Is Your Bag?

One of my teachers had each one of us bring a clear plastic bag
and a sack of potatoes. For every person we'd refuse to forgive
in our life experience, we were told to choose a potato, write
on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag. Some of
our bags, as you can imagine, were quite heavy.

We were then told to carry this bag with us everywhere for one
week, putting it beside our bed at night, on the car seat when
driving, next to our desk at work.

The hassle of lugging this around with us made it clear what a
weight we were carrying spiritually, and how we had to pay
attention to it all the time to not forget, and keep leaving it
in embarrassing places. Naturally, the condition of the potatoes
deteriorated to a nasty slime.

This was a great metaphor for the price we pay for keeping our
pain and heavy negativity! Too often we think of forgiveness as
a gift to the other person, but it clearly is for ourselves as
much as anyone!!

So the next time you decide you can't forgive someone, ask
yourself...Isn't your bag heavy enough?- Author Unknown

Take care and have a great month.

God is with you!

Malachi 3:3 says:
'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.' She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed..

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'

He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

God is watching over you and whatever you're going through, you'll be a better person in the end

Take care and have a great month ahead.

Cheers!

Four Seasons of Life

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in

Summer and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Moral:

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

Don't judge life by one difficult season.

Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure ahead.

There are times in life when we become discouraged because of something bad that happened that we don't fully understand. When this happens, we are to be conscious to the fact that we have not seen the full picture of what is yet to come and should not judge that situation as purely negative. All of us have been through situations that seemed bad at the time, but when we look back on it months and years later, we see how that "bad" situation helped us grow in wisdom, strength and faith. We are to trust that God is in control and will work all things out for our good in His time. We must also trust in His wisdom and remember that we're in safe Hands no matter the trial or tribulation that comes before us. (Isaiah 49:13-16) (Proverbs 3:5)

Glass of Milk

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door
to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin
dime left, and he was hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened
the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! . She
thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of
milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I
owe you?"

You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught
us never to accept pay for a kindness."

He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger
physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He
had been ready to give up and quit.

Many year's later that same young woman became critically
ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her
to the big city, where they called in specialists to study
her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When
he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light
filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital
to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He
recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his
best to save her life. From that day he gave special
attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final
bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote
something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room.
She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the
rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and
something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She
read these words ...

"Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed:
"Thank You, God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts
and hands."

There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast
on the water comes back to you. The good deed you do today
may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected
time. If you never see the deed again at least you
will have made the world a better place - And, after all,
isn't that what life is all about?

Take care and stay blessed

Regards,

Why shout at each other?

A theology professor was teaching about Anger;

He asked his students, "Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?

The students thought for a while. One of them said, because we lose our calm, we shout for that.

"But why shout when the other person is just next to you?" asked the professor. "Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you are angry?"

The students gave some other answers but none satisfied the professor.

Finally he explained, "When two people are angry at each other, their hearts psychologically distance themselves. To cover the distance, they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will shout to hear each other through that great distance.

Then the professor asked, "What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are psychologically very close. The distance between them is very small. The professor continued, "When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they even get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all....

So next time you shout at a loved one, know that you are creating distance between your heart and that person's heart.

God is working on your behalf. Keep trusting!

I came across this and it blessed me, would like to share :

We know that God will work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose”(Romans 8:28).

God has placed dreams and desires in each of our hearts. Are you believing for something that seems to be taking a long time? Are you tempted to quit? Maybe you've already given up on that dream. Today is a new day—it's time for you to get your fire back! It may be taking a long time, but God is faithful! He promises to complete the work He began in your life. Don't fall into the temptation to get complacent and think it's never going to happen. Right now, whether you see it or not, God is working behind the scenes and arranging things in your favor. When you develop an attitude of expectancy, you open the door to His miracle-working power in your life. Decide today to declare His Word and speak words of victory. Start declaring today, "My time is coming...God is working behind the scenes on my behalf…I will fulfill my destiny…I will fulfill the plan God has for my life!" As you declare and expect God to move, your faith will grow. Your hope will grow. Keep expecting and waiting for the appointed time. As you do, you'll step into the victorious destiny God has planned for you!

Whatever happens, trust in the Lord and trust in the power of hope! My hope is in God who never changes. Nothing is impossible with Him. He is a big God, and I'm believing Him for big things. How about you?

Take care and stay blessed.

Tosyne

Building Bridges of Life

Once upon a time two brothers, who lived on adjoining farms, fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed without a conflict. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.
One morning there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s tool box. “I’m looking for a few days’ work” he said. “Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with? Could I help you?” “Yes,” said the older brother. “I do have a job for you.”

“Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbor; in fact, it’s my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I’ll do him one better.”

“See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence –an 8-foot fence — so I won’t need to see his place or his face anymore.” The carpenter said, “I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”

The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job.

The farmer’s eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge — a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, handrails and all — and the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming toward them, his hand outstretched.

“You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done.” The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hand.

They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox onto his shoulder. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other projects for you,” said the older brother. “I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, but I have many more bridges to build.

It’s so easy to get carried away building walls or fences but rather we are called to build bridges of love and care towards others. So which are you building?

Take care and have a great week ahead.

Regards,
Tosin

Sharks In Your Life

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades.

So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price.

So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste.

The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan? How Japanese managed to keep the fish fresh?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged.

Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired & dull, so we need a Shark in our life to keep us awake and moving? Basically in our lives Sharks are new challenges to keep us active and taste better….. The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you enjoy a challenge.

If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are Conqueror.. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You are alive!

Recommendations for us:

Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat the heck out of them. Enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Failing makes you tired. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.

God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but he did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way.

Disappointments are like road bumps, they slow you down a bit but you enjoy the smooth road afterwards.. Don’t stay on the bumps too long. Move on!

When you feel down because you didn’t get what you want, just sit tight and be happy, because God has thought of something better to give you. When something happens to you, good or bad, consider what it means. There’s a purpose to life’s events, to teach you how to laugh more or not to cry too hard.

No one can go back and make a brand new start. But anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.