My seven-year-old son, Shane, made it through a our-hour operation to remove a brain tumor. “But we won’t know whether the tumor was malignant until tomorrow,” the doctor said. That night I didn’t leave Shane’s bedside. Around midnight an intensive-care nurse suggested I go home to try to get some rest. “Here’s the phone number of the hospital,” she said, handing me a piece of paper. “You can call us anytime.”
I hated to leave, but I had been awake for more than 24 hours, so I went to my house, where I dozed fitfully. Somewhere around 6:00 A.M. I dialed the number the nurse had given me. When a female voice answered I identified myself as Shane’s mother. “How is he?” the woman asked.
I was puzzled. “Is this Children’s Memorial Hospital?” “Honey, this is no hospital,” the woman said. “We’re just a group of women who heard about your son and decided to keep a prayer chain going for him. My friends and I have been on our knees all night praying for that little boy and one of us just asked God to give us a sign that he had heard. Then you called. Praise the Lord.”
The tumor was benign and Shane made a miraculous recovery. I’ve tried to get back in touch with that woman: I’ve dialed every possible variation of the hospital’s number and never again heard her beautiful, velvety voice. But I’ll feel connected to her always.
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 saved 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 US Remember that PERSERVERENCE- FORGIVENESS-LOVE-PRAISE and HOPE...all are excellent ways to "SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP" out of the wells in which we find ourselves!
Now imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking along the beach together. For much of the way the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying in the pace. But your prints are in a disorganized stream of zig zags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns. For much of the way it seems to go like this. But gradually, your footprints come in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends. This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens; your footprints that once etched the sand next to the Master's are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His large footprints is the smaller "sandprint," safely enclosed. You and Jesus are becoming one; this goes on for many miles. But gradually you notice another change.
The footprints inside the larger footprints seem to grow larger. Eventually it disappears altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one; again this goes on for a long time. But then something awful happens. The second set of footprints is back.
This time it seems even worse than before. Zig zags all over the place. Stop...start. Deep gashes in the sand. A veritable mess of prints. You're amazed and shocked. But this is the end of your dream. Now you speak: "Lord, I understand the first scene with the zig zags, fits, starts, and so on. I was a new Christian, just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You."
"That is correct," replied the Lord. "Then, when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps. I followed You very closely."
"Very good. You have understood everything so far." "Then the smaller footprints grew and eventually filled in with Yours. I suppose that I was actually growing so much that I was becoming more like You in every way."
"Precisely."
"But this is my question, Lord. Was there a regression of something? The footprints went back to two, and this time it was worse than the first."
The Lord smiles, then laughs. "You didn't know?" He says. "That was when we danced."
FOR HE WILL TURN YOUR MOURNING INTO DANCING!!!
It Takes Guts to Say "Jesus" This has been told as a true story of something
that happened just a few years ago at USC. There was a professor of philosophy
there who was a deeply committed atheist. His
primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester attempting
to prove that God couldn't exist. His students were always afraid to argue with
him because of his impeccable logic. For twenty years, he had taught this class
and no one had ever had the courage to go against him. Sure, some had argued in
class at times, but no one had ever really gone against him' (you'll see what
that means later). Nobody would go against him because he had a reputation. At
the end of every semester, on the last day, he would say to his class of 300
students, "If there is anyone here who still believes in Jesus, stand up!" In
twenty years, no one had ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next.
He would say, "because anyone who does believe in God is a fool. If God existed,
he could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a
simple task to prove that he is God, and yet he can't do it." And every year,
he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it would
shatter into a hundred pieces. All of the students could do nothing but stop and
stare. Most of the students were convinced that God couldn't exist.
Certainly, a number of Christians had slipped through, but for 20 years, they
had been too afraid to stand up.
Well, a few years ago, there was a freshman who happened to get enrolled in the
class. He was a Christian, and had heard the stories about this professor. He
had to take the class because it was one of the required classes for his major.
And he was afraid. But for 3 months that semester, he prayed every morning
that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said or
what the class thought. Nothing they said or did could ever shatter his faith,
he hoped. Finally the day came. The professor said, "If there is anyone here
who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor and the class of 300 people
looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at the back of the classroom. The
professor shouted, "You FOOL!! If God existed, he could keep this piece of
chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!" He proceeded to drop the chalk, but
as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleats of
his pants, down his leg, and off his shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply
rolled away, unbroken. The professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk.
He looked up at the young man and then ran out of the lecture hall.
The young man who had stood up proceeded to walk to the front of the room and
share his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. 300 students stayed and
listened as he told of God's love for them and of his power
through Jesus. "Yet to all who received HIM, to those who believed in HIS name,
HE gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural
descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will,
but born of God!" "But HE knows the way that I take. When HE has tested me, I
will come forth as gold."
Job 23:10
A preacher and an atheistic barber were once walking through the city slums. Said the barber to the preacher: "This is why I cannot believe in a God of love. If God was as kind as you say, He would not permit all this poverty, disease, and squalor. He would not allow these poor bums to be addicted to dope and other character-destroying habits. No, I cannot believe in a God who permits these things." The minister was silent until they met a man who was especially unkept and filthy. His hair was hanging down his neck and he had a half-inch of stubble on his face. Said the minister: "You can't be a very good barber or you wouldn't permit a man like that to continue living in this neighborhood without a haircut and shave." Indignantly the barber answered: "Why blame me for that man's condition? I can't help it that he is like that. He has never come in my shop: I could fix him up and make him look like a gentleman!" Giving the barber a penetrating look, the minister said: "Then don't blame God for allowing the people to continue in their evil ways, when He is constantly inviting them to come and be saved."
It's a cold day in December...New York City. A little boy about 10-years-old was standing before a shoe store on Broadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, "My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?" "I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes," was the boys reply. The lady took him by the hand and went into the store, and asked the clerk to get a half dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she then purchased him a pair of shoes, and tying up the remaining pairs of socks, gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, "No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?" As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes, answered the question with these words: "Are you God's wife?"
Dear Friend,
I am sending you this letter by way of one of My disciples. I just want to tell you how much I love you, and how I want very much to be a part of your life. This morning when you awoke, I was alredy there in the warm radiant sunshine that filled you room. I waited for you to speak to Me, but you never did.
When you went out the door, I again tried to get you attention. I kissed you face with a soft and gentle breeze. I even breathed upon you My sweetflowery and fragrant breath.
Then, I sang you some beautiful love songs through the birds in the trees. But you just walked on by as though I weren't even there.
Later in the day, I stood by watching as you talked, joked and laughed with your friends. I waited for you to speak to Me, but you never noticed Me.
O' how I wish that you would take a few minutes and talk with Me each day.
Then this afternoon, I sent you a refreshing shower. I even shouted at you several times with thunder trying to get your attention, but again you failed to ntice My Holy Presence.
Then, I painted for you a beautiful rainbow in the sky. I just knew that you would see me then.But, you were to busy doing other things.
This evening I sent you a colorful snset to close out your day. And as you laid down to sleep, I winked at you thousands of times through the stars in the sky, hoping that you would see Me, but you never noticed Me.
Then I spilled the moonlight upon your face to let you know that I am right here with you. How I really wish that you would spend a few minutes with Me before you go to sleep each night, but you never do.
My dear child, it hurts Me so much for you to ignore Me.
Nevertheless, I will continue to watch over you all through the night, hoping that you will notice Me in the morning.
I have revealed Myself to you in many wondrous ways and all that I want is for you to accept Me as your Lord and Saviour. For yousee, I am truly the only One who can save you and provide all of your needs.
My love for you is deeper than the deepest ocean, and O' so much bigger than the great blue skies.
Please let me hear from you real soon; I have so much to share with you. O.K?
I love you.
Your Friend Forever And Ever
Jesus