Joyology

Archive for April, 2010

“This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind…let it be something good.” 

Author Unknown 

For some time I’ve had a church member provide me with a rose boutonniere to pin on the lapel of my suit every Sunday. Because I always got a flower on Sunday morning, I really did not think much of it. It was a nice gesture that became routine. One Sunday, however, what I considered ordinary became very special.

As I was leaving the Sunday service a young man approached and said, “Sir, what are you going to do with your flower?” At first I did not know what he was talking about, but then I understood. I said, “Do you mean this?” as I pointed to the rose pinned to my coat.

He said, “Yes sir. I would like it if you are just going to throw it away.” The little boy said, “Sir, I’m going to give it to my granny. My mother and father got divorced last year. I was living with my mother, but I could not stay, so she sent me to live with my grandmother. She has been so good to me that I want to give that pretty flower to her for loving me.”

When the little boy finished I could hardly speak. My eyes filled with tears and I knew I had been touched in the depths of my soul. I reached up and unpinned my flower. With the flower in my hand, I looked at the boy and said, “Son, that is the nicest thing I have ever heard, but you can’t have this flower because it’s not enough. If you’ll look in front of the pulpit, you’ll see a big bouquet of flowers. Different families buy them for the church each week. Please take those flowers to your granny because she deserves the very best.”

If I hadn’t been touched enough already, he made one last statement and I will always cherish it. He said, “What a wonderful day! I asked for one flower but got a beautiful bouquet.”

~~ Author Unknown

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.  From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse.  But if you get a closer look you will notice something quite interesting…One of the horses is blind.

His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made him a safe and comfortable barn to live in.  This alone is pretty amazing.  But if you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. It is coming from a smaller horse in the field.  Attached to the horse’s halter is a small, copper-colored bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.

As you stand and watch these two friends you’ll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting he will not be led astray.  When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, he will stop occasionally to look back, making sure that the blind friend isn’t too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect. Or because we have problems or challenges.  He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse, being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.  And at other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way.

~~~~Author Unknown