A farmer had one old horse that he used for tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills and when all the farmer’s neighbors heard about it, they sympathized with the old man over his bad luck. “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?” said the farmer.

A week later, the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?” said the farmer.

Then, when the farmer’s son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone agreed that this was very bad luck. Not the farmer, who replied, “Bad Luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and forced every able-bodied young man to go fight in a bloody war. When they saw that the farmer’s son had a broken leg, they let him stay. Everyone was very happy at the farmer’s good luck.

“Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

Life is a lot like that. Sometimes it seems like things are going well, and at other times, things seem to be going badly. And we let those things dictate our feelings and our outlook on life. When things are going well, we’re happy and we think God is with us. If they are going badly, we get discouraged and think that God must have abandoned us. We end up being tossed around by our circumstances.

But the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4 that he had learned to be content, even happy, in all circumstances. He was happy when things were bad (he was in jail at the time), and he was happy when things were going good as well. That’s the great thing about being part of God’s family. We really don’t have to worry in our circumstances, because no matter what, we have hope in Christ. “We know that in everything, God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

~ Anonymous

A simple friend has never seen you cry. A real friend has shoulders
soggy from your tears..

A simple friend doesn’t know your parents’ first names. A real! friend
has their phone numbers in his address book.

A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party. A real friend
comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean.

A simple friend hates it when you call after they’ve gone to bed. A
real friend asks you why you took so long to call.

A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems. A real
friend seeks to help you with your problems.

A simple friend wonders about your romantic history. A real friend
could blackmail you with it.

A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an
argument. A real friend calls you after you had a fight.

A simple friend expects you to always be there for them. A real friend
expects to always be there for you!

– Author Unknown

What is the answer? It is written, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”In other words, “I am able; I can.” The point is not positive thinking. We don’t conjure up the strength. The point is we are given real ability, strength, and usefulness.

What we are talking about is heart power. We think differently than we did before. We see problems from a new perspective. Our emotions are also tempered. Like a rod of tempered steel, we bend but snap back. We simply handle things better. We are also given new will power. We are not afraid to make decisions. So we can make decisions more easily. As a result, we can cope with the life that comes our way.

If you find you can’t cope, the power is at hand. It is not in yourhand. It is in the hands of Him Who gives us strength. Turn to Him.

~ by Dennis J. Prutow

The Escape Key. That wonderful key whose main function is to get you out of whatever you just got into. I teach computers, and everyday, I have a student that somehow, someway, gets into a menu that I have never seen before and have no idea what it does. The menu usually says something like “Click on OK if you would like to reinstall the entire system at this time” or “You have accessed a secured government system; any further tampering will cause your location to be bombed.” My advice is
always: “Use the Escape Key!”

There are times when it is useful to read all the options on a menu and try to figure out how to solve the problem. There are times when it is useful to call the help desk and get some advice from the experts. But there are also times when the best way to handle the problem you have
created is to simply use the Escape Key.

“Flee! Run for your lives;” Jeremiah 48:6 “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace…” 2 Timothy 2:22

“No, I’m not quite sure how you got there. Why don’t you Flee!”
“It looks pretty messed up to me. Why don’t you Flee!
“No! You don’t want to do that! Quick, Flee!”

The Biblical command to Flee. (Or as Monty Python might say it: “Run Away! Run Away!”) It is a command that is sometimes hard for us proud humans to heed. We feel we know ourselves well enough to know our strengths and our areas of weakness. But God knows us much better than we will ever know ourselves; and He knows the power of fleeing. He knows that fleeing gives us time to think. It gets us out of the middle of a situation and allows us to see things clearly. He realizes that the best
way to resist temptation is to avoid temptation. He realizes that some temptations are better to out-run, than to out-smart. The problem is, we seldom see this for ourselves. We allow ourselves to go deeper and deeper into Satan’s territory until all of a sudden we’re surrounded, and the human strength we were so proud of is no longer sufficient:

“I can handle this temptation. I’m strong enough. Don’t worry about me, I’ll deal with it.”
“It’s OK if I spend time with those guys. Their words and actions and attitudes won’t rub off on me! Besides, I am supposed to be ‘In the World.’ Right?”
“Just because I fell into this sin last time doesn’t mean I’ll fall again! I learned a lot from that experience. I’m ready to take this one head on.”

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:11

The command is simple: Flee.

Give it a try this week. When you feel the urge to fight a battle you have had trouble with in the past. When your mind or eyes are tempted to tarry too long where you know they should not be. When you are tired and need a shelter: Flee.

Then let God refresh you and strengthen you for the battles that He will choose for you to fight.
Contributed by Ellis Bush (All Rights Reserved)

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression …..because He delights in steadfast love. (Micah 7:18)

Fr. John Catoir

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room …. just wait.” “That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged … it’s how I arrange my mind.

I already decided to love it … “It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get
out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away … just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account … you withdraw from what you’ve put in..
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.

– Author Unknown

Sometimes I feel frustrated, cause I think I know what’s best.
It’s then I hear you say to me, “My Busy Child … just rest”

Sometimes I feel so lonely and I think I’d like a mate.
Your still small voice gets oh so clear and says, “My Child …
please
wait”

“I know the plans I have for you, the wondrous things you’ll see;
If you can just be patient, Child, and put your trust in me.

I’ve plans to draw you closer. I’ve plans to help you grow.
There’s much I do you cannot see and much you do not know.

But know This, Child ….. I LOVE YOU. You are Precious unto Me.
Before I formed you in the womb, I planned your destiny.

I’ve something very special I hope for you to learn.
The gifts I wish to give to you are gifts you cannot earn.

They come without a price tag, but not without a cost;
at Calvary, I gave My Son, so You would not be lost.

Rest Child, and do not weary of doing what is good.
I promise I’ll come back for you just like I said I would.

Your name is written on my palm, I never could forget;
Therefore, do not be discouraged when my answer is… “Not Yet”

~Author Unknown~

But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall
a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock.
In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in
the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird
on her nest… perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?
The King chose the second picture.
Do you know why?

“Because,” explained the King, “peace does not mean
to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard
work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things
and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning
of peace.

-Author Unknown

** GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU**

– Author Unknown

Rely on God’s strength rather than your own. Ask God to give you compassion for others and enable you to help them in ways they need help.

Take time to thank God for His presence in your life and the many kind ways He interacts with you. Be willing to freely give others the gift of your kindness, as you recall how freely God has blessed you.

Never underestimate the value of a particular person or act of kindness. Each time you reach out to others with kindness, you effort is worthwhile, Not only that, but God will be pleased.

Never overestimate your own role in situations. You must be humble to be an effective servant.

Ask God to show you ways in which He would like you to extend kindness to people you regularly encounter (such as family, friends, co-workers) as well as people you randomly meet. Devise a plan for performing acts of kindness for each of the people you know, taking into account their needs and desires. Pray to be ready to offer kindness to people you don’t know when opportunities arise.

Pay special attention to the needs of people who are poor, since God identifies with them. Explore ways that you can help the poor, such as volunteering at a food pantry or homeless shelter and simplifying your lifestyle to use the Earth’s resources more responsibly.

With the Holy Spirit’s help, forgive people who have hurt you.

When serving others, respect their dignity and privacy.

Don’t expect other people to repay you when you’re kind to them, but know
that God will always reward you somehow for your kindness.

by Whitney Von Lake Hopler; Live It; 8/10/2001
adapted from Kindness: Reaching Out to Others by Phyllis J. Le Peau
Forwarded from Ross Thompson, OurRestingPlace