STORIES THAT TOUCH THE HEART: He loves you ...... Trust Him!

STORIES THAT TOUCH THE HEART: He loves you ...... Trust Him!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

An unemployed graduate woke up one morning and checked his pocket. All he had left was $10. He decided to use it to buy food and then wait for death as he was too proud to go begging. He was frustrated as he could find no job, and no body was ready to help him.

He bought food and as he sat down to eat, an old man and two little children came along and asked him to help them with food as they had not eaten for almost a week. He looked at them. They were so lean that he could see their bones coming out. Their eyes had gone into the socket.

With the last bit of compassion he had, he gave them the food. The old man and children prayed that God would bless and prosper him and gave him a very old coin. The young graduate said to them, “you need the prayer more than I do”. With no money, no job, no food, the young graduate went under the bridge to rest and wait for death. As he was about to sleep, he saw an old newspaper on the ground. He picked it up, and suddenly he saw an advertisement for people with old coins to come to certain address.

He decided to go there with the old coin the old man gave him. On getting to the place, he gave the proprietor the coin. The proprietor screamed, brought out a big book and showed the young graduate a photograph. This same old coin was worth 3 million dollars. The young graduate was overjoyed as the proprietor gave him a bank draft for 3 million dollars within an hour. He collected the Bank Draft and went in search of the old man and little children.

By the time he got where he left them eating, they had gone. He asked the owner of the canteen if he knew them. He said, “No, but they left you a note.” He quickly opened the note thinking it would lead him to find them.

This is what the note said: “You gave us your all and we have rewarded you back with the coin.”

No matter how tough things are with you, reach out and meet the needs of others. Forget about your own problems and do what you can to solve the problems of others. Quoting a friend, ‘That may just be the trigger to your breakthrough.’

The REFINER'S Fire

Malachi 3:3... "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

Ever wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God?

HOW DO YOU RESPOND??

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as when one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon, the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl, pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl, then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she said, " Tell me what you see." " Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked her to take the egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled and she tasted its rich aroma, She then asked her mother "what it means?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans was unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you ?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am i? Am i the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity wilts and becomes soft, losing its strength? Am i the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did i have a fluid spirit, but after a death, i breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, become harden and stiff? Does my shell look the same, buy on the inside i am bitter and tough with stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am i like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it released the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is in the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.