Lessons An Atheist Learnt from the Geese

 

There was once a man who didn’t believe in God, and he didn’t hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays.

His wife, however, did believe and she raised their children to have faith in God and the Lord Jesus Christ despite his disparaging comments. On one snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their two children to a special Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they lived. They were to talk about the birth of Jesus that night. She asked him to come along just like she had done so many times before, but he refused her once again, “That story is nonsense!” he barked. “Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That’s ridiculous!”

So she and the children left, and he stayed home.

A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He then sat down to relax before the fire for the evening when he heard a very loud thump. Something had hit the window. He looked out but couldn’t see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window.

In the field near his house, he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently, they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn’t go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. And a couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.

The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It’s warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn’t seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man tried to get their attention by waving a lantern, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a breadcrumb trail leading to the barn, but they still didn’t catch on.

Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the opened barn doors. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe.

“Why don’t they follow me?!” he exclaimed. “Can’t they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?”

He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn’t follow a human. “If only I were a goose, then I could save them,” he said out loud. Then he had an idea! He went into barn, got one of his own geese and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it.

His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn — and one by one, the other geese followed it to safety. He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed loudly in his mind: “If only I were a goose, then I could save them!” Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier that evening. “Why would God want to be like us? That’s ridiculous!”

Suddenly it all made perfect sense to him. That is what God had done! We were like the geese–blind, lost, and perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way, and save us!

As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood why Jesus Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished with the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: “Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!”

Perhaps, you can identify with the man’s stance about God and His Son, Jesus; it is never too late to make a u-turn and come to Him. He’s patiently waiting for you.

– Author Unknown

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
– 1 Corinthians 1:18

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

When I Say, “I Am a Christian”

 

When I say, “I am a Christian”

I’m not shouting, “I’ve been saved!”

I’m whispering, “I get lost sometimes

That’s why I chose this way”

 

When I say, “I am a Christian”

I don’t speak with human pride

I’m confessing that I stumble

Needing God to be my guide

 

When I say, “I am a Christian”

I’m not trying to be strong

I’m professing that I’m weak

And pray for strength to carry on

 

When I say, “I am a Christian”

I’m not bragging of success

I’m admitting that I’ve failed

And cannot ever pay the debt

 

When I say, “I am a Christian”

I don’t think I know it all

I submit to my confusion

Asking humbly to be taught

 

When I say, “I am a Christian”

I’m not claiming to be perfect

My flaws are all too visible

But God believes I’m worth it

 

When I say, “I am a Christian”

I still feel the sting of pain

I have my share of heartache,

Which is why I seek His name

 

When I say, “I am a Christian”

I do not wish to judge

I have no authority

I only know I’m loved

Meditation: But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. – 1 Corinthians 15:10

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

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Practice Humility

 

This is a real-life story about the all-important virtue of humility.

Many years ago, a rider came across some soldiers who were trying to move a heavy log without success. The corporal was standing by as the men struggled. The rider asked the corporal why he wasn’t helping. The corporal replied, “I am the corporal; I give orders.”

The rider dismounted, went up and stood by the soldiers, and as they were lifting the log, he helped them. With his help, the log was moved. The rider quietly mounted his horse, went to the corporal and said, “The next time your men need help, send for the Commander-in-Chief.”

After he left, the corporal and his men found out that the rider was George Washington.

The message is clear. Success and humility go hand in hand. When others blow your horn, the sound goes further. Just think about it? Simplicity and humility are two hallmarks of greatness. Humility does not mean self-demeaning behaviour.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. – 2 Samuel 22:28

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

The Balancing Act

 

This is an inspiring anecdote about the balancing act of life.

A 91-year-old woman died after living a very long dignified life. When she met God, she asked Him something that had really bothered her for a very long time. “If man was created in God’s image, and if all men are created equal, why do people treat each other so badly?”

God replied that each person who enters our life has a unique lesson to teach us. It is only through these lessons that we learn about life, people, and our relationships with God.

This confused the woman, so God began to explain:

“When someone lies to you, it teaches you that things are not always what they seem. The truth is often far beneath the surface. Look beyond the masks people wear if you want to know what is in their hearts. Remove your own masks to let people know who you really are.

When someone steals from you, it teaches you that nothing is forever. Always appreciate what you have. You never know when you might lose it. Never take your friends or family for granted, because today and sometimes only this very moment is the only guarantee you may have.

When someone inflicts injury upon you, it teaches you that the human state is a very fragile one. Protect and take care of your body as best as you can, it’s the one thing that you are sure to have for as long as you are on earth.

When someone mocks you, it teaches you that no two people are alike. When you encounter people who are different from you, do not judge them by how they look or act, instead base it on the contents of what is in their hearts.

When someone breaks your heart, it teaches you that loving someone does not always mean that the person will love you back. But don’t turn your back on love, because when you find the right person, the joy that one person brings you will make up for all of your past hurts times a thousandfold.

When someone holds a grudge against you, it teaches you that everyone makes mistakes. When you are wronged, the most virtuous thing you can do is forgive the offender without pretence. Forgiving those who have hurt us is often the most difficult and painful of life’s experiences, but it is also the most courageous thing a person can do.

When someone ridicules you, it teaches you that nobody is perfect. Accept people for their merits and be tolerant of their flaws. Do not ever reject someone for imperfections over which they have no control.”

Upon hearing the Lord’s wisdom, the old woman became concerned that there are no lessons to be learned from man’s good deeds. God replied that man’s capacity to love is the greatest gift He has. At the root of kindness and love, each act of love also teaches us a lesson. The woman’s curiosity deepened. God, once again began to explain:

“When someone loves us, it teaches us love, kindness, charity, honesty, humility, forgiveness, acceptance, and all of these can counteract all the evil in the world. For every good deed, there is one evil deed. Man alone has the power to control the balance between good and evil, but because the lessons of love are not taught often enough, the power is too often abused.

When you enter someone’s life, whether by plan, chance or coincidence, consider what your lesson will be. Will you teach love or a harsh lesson of reality? When you die, will your life have resulted in more loving or more hurting? More comfort or more pain? More joy or more sadness? Each one of us has the power over the balance of love in the world. Use it wisely!”

Don’t miss an opportunity to nudge the world’s scale in the right direction!

– Author Unknown

Meditation: The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. – Deuteronomy 29:29

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

Lessons on Life

 

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn some life lessons, 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 to come some time or later.

– Author Unknown

Meditation: While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:18

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

The Truck Driver and the Mental Patient

This is a story about wisdom in unusual places.

One truck driver doing his usual load delivery at a mental hospital parked his vehicle beside an open drain. He discovered a flat tyre when he was about to return from the mental hospital. He jacked up the truck and removed the flat tyre to fix it.

When he was about to fix the spare tyre, he accidentally dropped all the four bolts in the open drain. As he cannot fish the bolts in the open drain, he started to panic as to what should be done?

Just then, one patient happened to walk past him and asked the driver why he was looking troubled. The driver thought to himself, since there is nothing much he can do or this mental joker can, he might as well talk to him just to keep the bugging away. So he informed the mental patient about the whole episode with a helpless look on his face.

The patient just laughed at the truck driver and said, “You cannot even fix such a simple problem? No wonder you are destined to remain a truck driver for life.”

The truck driver was astonished to hear such a compliment from a mental patient. “Here is what you can do,” the mental guy continued, “Take one bolt from each of the remaining three wheels and fix it onto the fourth tyre. Then drive down to the nearest workshop and replace the missing ones. Isn’t it simple my friend?”

The truck driver was so impressed with this quick fix answer and asked the patient, “How come you are so smart and intelligent and you are here at the mental hospital?”

The patient replied, “Hello friend! I stay here because I am crazy, not stupid”.

No wonder, there are people who behave like the Truck Driver, thinking that they can figure out or fix things and other people are just plain stupid. No matter how learned or wise you are, always remember there could be some crazy guys in your professional/personal life, who could give you lots of quick fixes and brush your wisdom.

– Author Unknown

Meditation: For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. – Romans 12:3

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

Unconditional Love

 

This is a very moving story about unconditional love.

A soldier was finally returning home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. “Mom and Dad, I’m coming home but, I’ve got a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring with me.”

“Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.”

“There’s something you should know,” the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a landmine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.”

“No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.”

“Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. They were told their son had died after falling from a building. The police believed it was suicide. 

The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him but, to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know. Their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around but, we don’t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren’t as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.

Thankfully, there’s someone who won’t treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are. That Person is Jesus Christ. He beckons all to come to Him irrespective of their handicap.

– Author Unknown 

Meditation: But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. – Luke 6:32

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!