I asked God

I asked God to take away my pain,
God said no,
it is not for me to takeaway,
but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my
handicapped child whole,
God said no,
her spirit is whole her
body is only temporary.
I asked God to give me patience,
God said no,
patience is a by-product
of tribulations it isn`t granted,
it is earned
I asked God to give me happiness,
God said no,
I give you blessings,
happiness is up to you
I asked God to spare me pain ,
God said no,
suffereing draws you
from worldly cares and brings
you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow,
God said no,
you must grow on your own,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked God for all the things
I may enjoy in life,
God said no,
I give you life so you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me love
others like he loves me,
and God said,
finally you have reached the right idea,
of why you are in this world .

~~~~Author Unknown~~~~

The Difference

I got up early one morning
and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,
and heavier came each task.
"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.
He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,
but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn't show me.
He said, "But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence;
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly said,
"My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning,
and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I had to take time to pray.

~~~Author Unknown~~~

Footprints

One Night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was

walking along the beach with the LORD.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each

scene; he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand;

one belonged to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,

he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path

of his life there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very

lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the-

LORD about it. "LORD, you said that once I

decided to follow you, you'd walk with me

all the way. But I have noticed that during

the most troublesome times in my life there is

only one set of footprints. I don't understand why

when I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied, "My precious, precious child,

I love you and I would never leave you.

During your times of trial and suffering,

when you see only one set of footprints,

it was then that I carried you."

The love we give away is the only love we keep. - Elbert Hubbard

Smiles

Smiles are the precious gems
that add a special glow,
And fill the world with sunshine
in spite of daily woe.
Smiles are the soft white clouds
that cushion every blow,
And chase away misgivings
among our friends and foe.

Smiles are the rainbows that appear
when storms are through;
They turn our pain to joy again;
our courage we'll renew.
Smiles are the bridge between
the darkness and the light;
When sharing them with others,
new friendships we invite.
~~~Author Unknown~~~

Parable of a Rose

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully.
Before it blossomed, he examined it.
He saw a bud, that would soon blossom.
He also saw the thorns, and he thought,
"How can any beautiful flower come from a plant,
burdened with so many sharp thorns?"
Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose,
and before it was ready to bloom, it died.
So it is with many people. Within every soul, there is a rose.
The 'God-like' qualities planted in us at birth,
growing amidst the thorns of our faults.
Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects.
We despair, thinking nothing good can possibly come from us.
We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies.
We never realize our potential.

Some don't see the rose within themselves.
It takes someone else to show it to them.
One of the greatest gifts, a person can possess,
is to be able to reach past the thorns
and find the rose within others.
This is the truest, most innocent, and gracious characteristic of love....
to know another person, including their faults,
recognize the nobility in their soul, and yet still help
another to realize they can overcome their faults.
If we show them the rose, they will conquer the thorns.
Only then, will they blossom, and most likely,
blooming thirty, sixty, a hundred- fold, as it's given to them.
Our duty in this world, is to help others,
by showing them 'their roses' and not "their thorns."
It is then, that we achieve the love,
we should feel for each other; only then,
can we bloom in our 'own garden.'
~Author Unknown~