THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

Two traveling Angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room.

Instead the Angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older Angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.

When the younger Angel asked why, the older Angel replied..."Things aren't always what they seem."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the Angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning, the Angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger Angel was infuriated and asked the older Angel, "How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him" he accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let their cow die."

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older Angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it.

"Then last night, as we slept in the farmers bed, the Angel of Death came for his wife. I gave her the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."

Sometimes this is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until some time later.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Think about this:

• Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight: just remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.
• Should you find yourself stuck in traffic: don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
• Should you have a bad day at work: think of the man who has been out of work for the last three months.
• Should you despair over a relationship gone bad: think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.
• Should you grieve the passing of another weekend: think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for $15.00 to feed her family.
• Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
• Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror: think of the cancer patient in chemotherapy who wishes she had hair to examine.
• Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking "what is my purpose": be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
• Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities: remember things could be worse. You could be them!!!

GRACE

[A great illustration of what Grace Means.]

The boy stood defiantly.  "Go ahead, give it to me."
The principal looked at the young rebel and asked,  "How many times have you been here?"
The child sneered rebelliously, "Apparently not enough."
"And you have been punished each time?" the principal responded.
"Yeah, I been punished, if that's what you want to call it.  Go ahead I can take whatever you dish out.  I always have."
"And no thought of your punishment enters your head the next time you decide to break the rules does it?"
"Nope, I do whatever I want to do.  Ain't nothin?you people gonna do to stop me either."
The principal looked at the teacher who stood nearby.  "What did he do this time?"
"Fighting.  He shoved Tommy's face into the sandbox."
The principal looked at the boy, "What did Tommy do to you?"
"Nothin? I didn't like the way he was lookin' at me."
The teacher stiffened but a quick look from the principal stopped him as he quietly said, "Today, is the day you learn about grace."
"Grace?  Isn't that what you old people do before you sit down to eat?  I don't need none of your stinkin' grace."
"Oh but you do."  The principal studied the young man's face and whispered.
"Oh yes, you truly do..." The boy continued to glare as the principal continued, "Grace, in its short definition is unmerited favor.  You can not earn it, it is a gift and is always freely given.  It means that you will not be getting what you so richly deserve."
The boy looked puzzled.  "You're not gonna whip me? You just gonna let me walk?  The boy studied the face of the principal, "No punishment at all? Even though I socked Tommy and shoved his face into the sandbox?"
"Oh, there has to be punishment.  What you did was wrong and there are always consequences to our actions.  There will be punishment. Grace is not an excuse for doing wrong."

"I knew it," Sneered the boy as he held out his hands.  "Let's get on with it."
The principal nodded toward the teacher.  "Bring me the belt."
The teacher presented the belt to the principal.  He carefully folded it in two and then handed it back to the teacher.  He looked at the child and said.  "I want you to count the blows."
The principal walked over to stand directly in front of the young man.
He gently reached out and folded the child's outstretched, expectant hands together and then turned to face the teacher with his own hands outstretched.

One quiet word came forth from his mouth.  "Begin."  The belt whipped down on the outstretched hands of the principal.
Crack!  The young man jumped ten feet in the air.  Shock registered across his face, "One" he whispered.  Crack!  "Two."  His voice raised an octave.
Crack! "Three..."  He couldn't believe this.  Crack!  "Four." Big tears welled up in the eyes of the rebel.  "OK stop!  That's enough. Stop!"
Crack!
Came the belt down on the hands of the principal. Crack!  The child flinched with each blow, tears beginning to stream down his face. 
Crack!  Crack!
"No please", the former rebel begged, "Stop, I did it, I'm the one who deserves it.  Stop!  Please. Stop..."
Still the blows came, Crack!  Crack!  One after another. Finally it was over.
The principal stood with sweat glistening across his forehead and beads trickling down his face.  Slowly he knelt down. He studied the young man for a second and then his swollen hands reached out to cradle the face of the weeping child.
"Grace..."

Grace came to you through the sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth who at Calvary received the punishment that you and I deserve for our sin.
His back was whipped for the idols that we have bent our backs to.
Nails were driven through His sinless hands for the things that we have done with our hands.
Nails were driven through His feet for the paths that we have chosen to walk.
He wore a crown of thorns for the things we have given our minds to.
A lance was driven into his heart for the things we have held in our hearts.

Truly we have received God's grace.
G God's
R Righteousness
A At
C Christ's
E Expense!
Have a Wonderful and Wonder-filled Day!

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."

SCARS OF LIFE

 
Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother in the house was looking out the window saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.

From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go." You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go.

In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way.

But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms be very, very grateful. He did not and will not - let you go.

He won't let any of us go, thank God ...

The World Is A Puzzle

There was a man who had a little boy that he loved very much. Everyday after work the man would come home and play with the little boy. He would always spend all of his extra time playing with the little boy.

 

One night, while the man was at work, he realized that he had extra work to do for the evening, and that he wouldn't be able to play with his little boy. But, he wanted to be able to give the boy something to keep him busy. So, looking around his office, he saw a magazine with a large map of the world on the cover. He got an idea. He removed the map, and then patiently tore it up into small pieces. Then he put all the pieces in his coat pocket.

 

When he got home, the little boy came running to him and was ready to play. The man explained that he had extra work to do and couldn't play just now, but he led the little boy into the dining room, and taking out all the pieces of the map, he spread them on the table. He explained that it was a map of the world, and that by the time he could put it back together, his extra work would be finished, and they could both play. Surely this would keep the child busy for hours, he thought.

 

About half an hour later the boy came to the man and said, "Okay, it's finished. Can we play now?"

The man was surprised, saying, "That's impossible. Let's go see." And sure enough, there was the picture of the world, all put together, every piece in its place.

 

The man said, "That's amazing! How did you do that?" The boy said, "It was simple. On the back of the page was a picture of a man. When I put the man together the whole world fell into place."

(When the picture of Jesus is in your life, your whole world falls into place)

Quilt-Making

 

Watching someone make a quilt can be deceiving. As they stitch from the back of the quilt it appears that what they are making is boring, messy and sometimes even ugly. Yet and still, you know that it’s creator is working towards some extraordinary vision, some amazing end goal.

The magic doesn’t happen until you see flip them over–that’s when you learn that what you’ve been looking at is really a beautiful work of art.

The making of life is much like the making of a quilt. There will be mess. There will be times when things look boring or even appear to be ugly. But like a quilt being stitched, it may look messy, boring or ugly while you’re in it but, as long as you continue to work towards a remarkable vision, the world (including yourself) will be amazed when you finish and flip it over.

Don’t get caught up on the seemingly not so pleasant aspects of life, a beautiful piece of work is in the making. Only the Designer/God knows the whole picture. Try to see things in God's grand perspectives!

 

GOD'S WINGS

From National Geographic. We have not been able to find the author.

A little something to put things in perspective ...
An article in National Geographic several years ago provided an interesting picture of God's wings. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage.

One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings.

The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offsprings to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies.

Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body. The mother had remained steadfast. She had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge." (Psalm 91:4)
Being loved this much should make a difference in your life. Remember the One who loves you, and then be different because of it.

THE PINK DRESS

 
There was this little girl sitting by herself in the park. Everyone passed by her and never stopped to see why she looked so sad. Dressed in a worn pink dress, barefoot and dirty, the girl just sat and watched the people go by.

She never tried to speak.
She never said a word.
Many people passed by her, but no one would stop.

The next day I decided to go back to the park in curiosity to see if the little girl would still be there. Yes, she was there, right in the very spot where she was yesterday, and still with the same sad look in her eyes.

Today I was to make my own move and walk over to the little girl. For as we all know, a park full of strange people is not a place for young children to play alone. As I got closer I could see the back of the little girl's dress. It was grotesquely shaped. I figured that was the reason people just passed by and made no effort to speak to her. Deformities are a low blow to our society and, heaven forbid if you make a step toward assisting someone who is different.

As I got closer, the little girl lowered her eyes slightly to avoid my intent stare. As I approached her, I could see the shape of her back more clearly. She was grotesquely shaped in a humped over form. I smiled to let her know it was OK; I was there to help, to talk.

I sat down beside her and opened with a simple, "Hello." The little girl acted shocked, and stammered a "hi";! after a long stare into my eyes. I smiled and she shyly smiled back. We talked until darkness fell and the park was completely empty.

I asked the girl why she was so sad. The little girl looked at me with a sad face said, "Because, I'm different." I immediately said, "That you are!"; and smiled. The little girl acted even sadder and said, "I know." "Little girl," I said, "you remind me of an angel, sweet and innocent."

She looked at me and smiled, then slowly she got to her feet and said, "Really?" "Yes, you're like a little Guardian Angel sent to watch over all people walking by." She nodded her head yes, and smiled.

With that she opened the back of her pink dress and allowed her wings to spread, then she said "I am." "I'm your Guardian Angel," with a twinkle in her eye. I was speechless - sure I was seeing things. She said, "For once you thought of someone other than yourself. My job here is done".

I got to my feet and said, "Wait, why did no one stop to help an angel?" She looked at me, smiled, and said, "You're the only one that could see me," and then she was gone.

And with that, my life was changed dramatically. So, when you think you're all you have, remember, your angel is always watching over you.

Like the story says, we all need someone ... And, every one of your friends is an Angel in their own way. The value of a friend is measured in the heart. I hope your Guardian Angel watches over you always.

Ps 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways ...