Inspiration Shared By Lady Braids

Inspiration On 09/19/11

Imagine walking through a crowded airport. You cannot move without
bumping into someone. You're late for your flight, and the wheels just
broke on your over - packed suitcase.

With no other option, you're forced to carry the luggage and slowly
maneuver through the congested lobby toward the ticketing area. Almost
immediately, a young gentleman offers to carry your bags, but you
pridefully refuse. When you realize the ticket counter is two levels up,
you make your way to the stairs. Someone asks you if it would be
easier to take the elevator. But you are determined to carry your
bags.

As you finally make it to the top of the steps, your arms feel numb
from the pressure of your bags. Your legs are starting to buckle
from the weight. Your back is aching from supporting the heavy
load. Then, you spot a collection of unused baggage carts. But
you ignore them, self - assured that you can handle the bags yourself.

Isn't this a silly story? Who would prefer to carry such a heavy
burden, ignoring every opportunity to lay it down? And yet,
many believers do just that. Our Father has called us to lay our
cares at His feet. But when we fail to come to God in prayer,
we're just as foolish as the man staggering with his bags through
the airport.

Are you trying to carry a greater burden than you can bear? Don't
ignore God's offer to help. The truth is, we really can't "do it
ourselves," and God never wanted us to try.

 -- Dr Charles Stanley

Inspiration On 07/26/11

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home
after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from
San Francisco. "Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've
a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home 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 land mind 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. Their
son had died after falling from a building, they were
told. 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.

Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say
a little prayer that God will give you the strength you
need to accept people as they are, and to help us all
be more understanding of those who are different
from us.

 -- Author Unknown

 

Inspiration On 07/14/11

His grief was multiplied by the sudden death of his precious wife. The
only thing he had left was his faith, and it was weakening.

One day he was combing the neighborhood looking for work. He stopped
to watch some men who were doing the stonework on a church building.
One of those men was skillfully chiseling a triangular piece of rock.

Not seeing a spot where it would fit, he asked, "Where are you going to
put that?"

The man pointed toward the top of the building and said. "See that little
opening up there near the spire? That's where it goes. I'm shaping it
down here so it will fit up there.

Tears filled this good man's eyes as he walked away.

"Shaping it down here so it will fit up there" gave new meaning in his
difficult situation.

 -- KneEmail

Inspiration On 06/29/11

The young woman was married and had two beautiful children, but one
day as she was standing over the sink, washing dishes, she thought,
"There must be more to life than this."

When her husband came home, he found a note she'd written and began
to weep. She would call him once every week to check on the children,
and he would always tell her of his great love for her and beg her to 
come home. She would always say no and hang up.

Finally, he hired a private investigator to find her and he went to the
apartment where she was staying, nervously holding flowers in his 
hand as he stood at the door. He had rehearsed over and over what he
would say and he finally got up the nerve to knock on the door. She
opened the door and he started to speak, but she suddenly began to
weep and fell into his arms. Through her tears she said, "Let's go home."

Months after, when things were starting to heal, he finally asked her
something that had been bothering him: "All those times I talked to 
you on the phone; I asked you to come back and you refused. Why
did you come back now?"

"Before," she said, "you were just telling me that you loved me.
When you came, you showed me."

The Bible tells us of God's love. Jesus came and showed God's love.

 -- Chad West

Inspiration On 06/27/11

There is an old fable about a puppy that was vigorously chasing his tail.

An old dog saw him and asked, "Why are you chasing your tail so?"

The puppy answered, "I have mastered philosophy. I have solved the
problems of the dog universe, which no dog before me has rightly
solved. I have learned that the best thing for a dog is contentment
and happiness. I have discovered that contentment is in my tail.
Therefore, I am chasing it; and when I catch it, I shall have happiness!"

The old dog said, "My son, I too have paid attention to the problems of
the dog universe, in my weak way, and have formed some opinions. I, too
have judged that contentment and happiness are fine things for a dog
and that happiness is in my tail. But I have noticed that when I chase it,
it keeps running from me; but when I go about my business, it comes
after me."

The fabled dog apparently knew a great deal about life. He put his business
before his happiness, and his happiness came along.

With the human family there can be only one business. Jesus made this clear
when He said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and
all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33.

All the things that people feel will make them satisfied and comfortable will
come along after they seek the kingdom of God.

 -- Neal Becker

Inspiration On 05/27/11

There once was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each
year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon. 

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned
something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter
discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your
neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours
each year?" the reporter asked.

"Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up
pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If
my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily
degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I
must help my neighbors grow good corn."

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn
cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.

So it is with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must
help their neighbors to live in peace. Those who choose to live
well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is
measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be
happy must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of
each is bound up with the welfare of all.

The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn,
we must help our neighbors grow good corn.

 -- Author Unknown

Inspiration on 05/24/11

I know a teenage boy who was born without one
leg. If there's a trace of self pity in him, I've never
seen it. The artificial limb is made of lightweight
titanium. "It's bullet proof. Cool eh?"

Conversations about his missing limb are rare.
People tend to forget about his pronounced limp
when they're in his presence. The smile he
flashes when he greets a person makes them
feel good. He's genuinely happy to see you, and
you know it - the minute he lays eyes on you.

His zest for living is contagious. I find myself
wanting to do more - be more - after listening to
him talk about the plans he's made to achieve his
goals and dreams. Any problems I thought I had,
seem petty and dissolve.

There was a time when I was impressed by fame,
a very shallow and narrow minded way of thinking.
Thank goodness my eyes, my heart and my mind
unfolded and opened up. I'm much harder to
impress, yet, without limiting myself to that select
group society makes into celebrities, I find myself
in genuine admiration of people all the time. A
person who inspires me, impresses me.

I don't find inspiration in the faces on the big
screen or the covers of magazines. I find it in the
faces of people who grace the common minutes
of ordinary days. They are everywhere.

 -- Living in love and loving life,
     Terri McPherson

Inspiration On 05/12/11

It was a 99-degree September day in San Antonio, when a 10
month-old baby girl was accidentally locked inside a parked car by
her aunt. Frantically the mother and aunt ran around the auto in
near hysteria, while a neighbor attempted to unlock the car with a
clothes hanger. Soon the infant was turning purple and had foam on
her mouth.

It had become a life-or-death situation when Fred Arriola, a
wrecker driver, arrived on the scene. He grabbed a hammer and
smashed the back window of the car to set her free.

Was he heralded a hero? He said, "The lady was mad at me
because I broke the window.

I just thought, What's more important--the baby or the window?"

Sometimes priorities get out of order, and a Fred Arriola reminds us
what's important.

 -- Ray Tiemann

Inspiration On 05/09/11

A man used to grumble at the food his wife placed before him at meal
time. Then he would ask the blessing.

One day after his usual combination complaint and prayer his little
girl asked, "Daddy, does God hear us when we pray?"

"Why, of course," he replied. "He hears us every time we pray."

"And does He hear everything we say the rest of the time?"

"Yes, every word," he replied, encouraged that he had inspired his
daughter to be curious about spiritual matters.

Innocently she burst his bubble with her next question.

"Then which does God believe?"

 -- Author Unknown

Inspiration On 04/12/11

Due to lack of sufficient income to cover church expenses, a
local grain elevator owner volunteered to take his church's
treasurer position if for one year the church would require
no report from him. The Board was puzzled, but knowing him
to be an honest man who processed most of their grain, they
granted it.

At the end of the year, the new treasurer gave a glowing report:
The church's indebtedness on the building had been paid, there
were no outstanding bills, salaries were increased and there was
a balance of $7,000! Explanations: "Most of you bring your
grain to me, and when I paid you, I simply withheld 10% and gave
it to the church in your name. You never missed it! See now
what we could do for the Lord if we each were only willing to
give 10% back!"

 -- Source: Monday Fodder