DON'T WE ALL ???

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. 

From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times. "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought.
 

He didn't. He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a very pretty car," he said. He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard keep more than his face warm. I said, "thanks," and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.

I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me. "Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun. 

Don't we all?
 

 I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.  

Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from  daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see. Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe  he was more than that.

Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.

 

Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help."

Don't we all?

author : unknown

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For  many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's  showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible. Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.

He began to search his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With
tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

The Window" (Author unknown)

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.

Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.

The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

Moral of the story:

The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.

The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.

Untuk semua yang pernah merasakan cinta.... (author : unknown)

1. Cinta itu seperti kupu-kupu.  Tambah dikejar, tambah lari. Tapi kalau dibiarkan terbang, dia akan datang disaat kamu tidak mengharapkannya. Cinta dapat membuatmu bahagia tapi sering juga bikin sedih, tapi cinta baru berharga kalau diberikan kepada seseorang yang menghargainya.  Jadi jangan terburu-buru dan pilih yang terbaik.

2. Cinta bukan bagaimana menjadi pasangan yang "sempurna" bagi seseorang. Tapi bagaimana menemukan seseorang yang dapat membantumu menjadi dirimu sendiri.

3. Jangan pernah bilang "I love you" kalau kamu tidak perduli.  Jangan pernah membicarakan perasaan yang tidak pernah ada.  Jangan pernah menyentuh hidup seseorang kalau hal itu akan menghancurkan hatinya. Jangan pernah menatap matanya kalau semua yang kamu lakukan hanya berbohong. Hal paling kejam yang seseorang lakukan kepada orang lain adalah membiarkannya jatuh cinta, sementara kamu tidak berniat untuk menangkapnya...

4. Cinta bukan "Ini salah kamu", tapi "Ma'afkan aku". Bukan "Kamu dimana sih?", tapi "Aku disini". Bukan "Gimana sih kamu?", tapi "Aku ngerti kok". Bukan "Coba kamu gak kayak gini", tapi "Aku cinta kamu seperti kamu apa adanya".

5. Kompatibilitas yang paling benar bukan diukur berdasarkan berapa lama kalian sudah bersama maupun berapa sering kalian bersama, tapi apakah selama kalian bersama, kalian selalu saling mengisi satu sama lain dan saling membuat hidup yang berkualitas.

6. Kesedihan dan kerinduan hanya terasa selama yang kamu inginkan dan menyayat sedalam yang kamu ijinkan. Yang berat bukan bagaimana caranya menanggulangi kesedihan dan kerinduan itu, tapi bagaimana belajar darinya.

7. Caranya jatuh cinta: jatuh tapi jangan terhuyung-huyung, konsisten tapi jangan memaksa, berbagi dan jangan bersikap tidak adil, mengerti dan cobalah untuk tidak banyak menuntut, sedih tapi jangan pernah simpan kesedihan itu.

8. Memang sakit melihat orang yang kamu cintai sedang berbahagia dengan orang lain tapi lebih sakit lagi kalau orang yang kamu cintai itu tidak berbahagia bersama kamu.

9. Yang paling menyedihkan dalam hidup adalah menemukan seseorang dan jatuh cinta, hanya untuk menemukan bahwa dia bukan untuk kamu dan kamu sudah menghabiskan banyak waktu untuk orang yang tidak pernah menghargainya. Kalau dia tidak "worth it" sekarang, dia tidak akan pernah "worth it" setahun lagi ataupun 10 tahun lagi. Biarkan dia pergi...

10. Kadang Tuhan yang mengetahui yang terbaik, akan memberi kesusahan untuk menguji kita. Kadang Ia pun melukai hati, supaya hikmat-Nya bisa tertanam dalam. Jika kita kehilangan cinta, maka pasti ada alasan di baliknya. Alasan yang kadang sulit untuk dimengerti, namun kita tetap harus percaya bahwa ketika Ia mengambil sesuatu, Ia telah siap memberi yang lebih baik.

11. Mengapa menunggu? Karena walaupun kita ingin mengambil keputusan, kita tidak ingin tergesa-gesa. Karena walaupun kita ingin cepat-cepat, kita tidak ingin sembrono. Karena walaupun kita ingin segera menemukan orang yang kita cintai, kita tidak ingin kehilangan jati diri kita dalam proses pencarian itu.

12. Pada akhirnya, lebih baik menunggu orang yang kita inginkan, ketimbang memilih apa yang ada. Tetap lebih baik menunggu orang yang kita cintai, ketimbang memuaskan diri dengan apa yang ada. Tetap lebih baik menunggu orang yang tepat, Karena hidup ini terlampau singkat untuk dilewatkan bersama pilihan yang salah, karena menunggu mempunyai tujuan yang mulia dan misterius. Kebanyakan hal yang indah dalam hidup memerlukan waktu yang lama, Dan penantian kita tidaklah sia-sia. Walaupun menunggu membutuhkan banyak hal - iman, keberanian, dan pengharapan - penantian menjanjikan satu hal yang tidak dapat seorangpun bayangkan. Pada akhirnya. Tuhan dalam segala hikmat-Nya, meminta kita menunggu, karena alasan yang penting.


"Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness."