Take my Son

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art..


When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas,


There was a knock at the door A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands..


He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly... He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'


The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift'


The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.


The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.


On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'


There was silence...


Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.'


But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?'


Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids!'


But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.


'We have $10, who will bid $20?'


'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'


The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.


They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.


The auctioneer pounded the gavel.. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'


A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'


The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'


'What about the paintings?'


'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will.. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.


The man who took the son gets everything!'


God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?'


Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.


FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE....THAT'S LOVE

Inspiration for Today

"Let's start with what we can be thankful for, and get our mind into that vibration, and then watch the good that starts to come, because one thought leads to another thought.".

 

~Bob Proctor

Happy Father's Day!

Fathers Are Wonderful People


Fathers are wonderful people
Too little understood,
And we do not sing their praises
As often as we should...

For, somehow, Father seems to be
The man who pays the bills,
While Mother binds up little hurts
And nurses all our ills...

And Father struggles daily
To live up to "his image"
As protector and provider
And "hero of the scrimmage"...

And perhaps that is the reason
We sometimes get the notion,
That Fathers are not subject
To the thing we call emotion,

But if you look inside Dad's heart,
Where no one else can see
You'll find he's sentimental
And as "soft" as he can be...

But he's so busy every day
In the grueling race of life,
He leaves the sentimental stuff
To his partner and his wife...

But Fathers are just wonderful
In a million different ways,
And they merit loving compliments
And accolades of praise,

For the only reason Dad aspires
To fortune and success
Is to make the family proud of him
And to bring them happiness...

And like Our Heavenly Father,
He's a guardian and a guide,
Someone that we can count on,
To be always on our side.


~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

What My Father Left Behind

By Janet Perez Eckles.

At 13 years of age, my parents and I visited an ophthalmologist. As I sat in the examining chair, my face firmly on the chin rest and pupils dilated, the doctor looked into my eyes, shining a bright light.

"She did inherit it," he said with coldness. "You need to be prepared. There is no cure for this retinal disease."

My father carried the Retinitis Pigmentosa gene causing a deterioration of the retina which, in most cases, results in blindness. Although my brother's retinas seemed to be fine, I'd inherited the gene.

Fifteen years after my initial diagnosis, my father began to lose his eyesight and so did I. He was 55 years old, but I was only 28. In a matter of two years, we had both lost our sight completely.

I focused on the effects of my own darkness. My world crumbled as the black curtain fell, destroying the dreams my husband and I had for us and for our three little boys. But when I turned to God for hope and strength, He responded by opening my eyes to a new revelation.

My father had given me not just the RP gene, but the example of determination and tenacity as well. We were all living in Bolivia in 1964 when he defied the family's opposition to move to America. He and Mom worked tirelessly to satisfy the requirements imposed by the U.S. Immigration Department to enter the country and establish residency.

Once in the states, he overcame humiliation, intense loneliness, helplessness and uncertainty. He endured ridicule due to his lack of fluency in English, but he pressed on. And he managed to gather enough money for the basics--rent a small apartment, buy modest furniture from thrift stores and put a down payment on a car. Nine months later, he sent airline tickets for my mom, my brother and me.

Decades later, as an American citizen, I look back at what he'd shown me. He taught me the determination to move forward when facing adversity. He set an example proving that humility is crucial to success. He demonstrated the commitment to family and the importance of setting priorities.

His journey taught me valuable lessons for my own path in the darkness. Much like a baby takes its first steps holding tight to his father's hand, mydad held onto God as he stepped from the comfort of our hometown in Bolivia to the unknown in a foreign land.

I did the same as I stepped into the unfamiliarity of a sightless world. Holding onto God's hand, I gained confidence and learned the language of gratitude. With profound appreciation for my father's example, I learned how he had applied a powerful blend of faith and tenacity; the same blend I used to fulfill my own role as a wife, mom, Sunday school teacher, Spanish court interpreter, inspirational speaker and writer.

What I inherited from my father helped me to see my life with a more radiant and meaningful glow.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janet Perez Eckles, featured in the New York Times is an inspirational national speaker, freelance writer, and contributor to seven books including Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has authored "Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming adversities in Life."   She imparts insights, inspiration and messages to uplift the soul at: www.janetperezeckles.com

Inspiration for Today

There's one sad truth in life I've found
While journeying east and west -
The only folks we really wound
Are those we love the best.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.

~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Inspirations for Today

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them ... every day begin the task anew.

~ Saint Francis de Sales

10 Inspiring Thoughts for Tough Times

By Noah benShea

Difficult financial times often inspire people to become more extraordinary. Challenge and adversity can push people toward their own greatness. It can launch you on a deeper personal journey toward happiness, fulfillment, and a life of meaning. As you explore ways to gather strength and improve self-esteem, remember, it is not so much about what you have but who you are. May these tips inspire you. May you go from strength to strength and be a source of strength to others.

Broke Is Not Broken

Being broke is not the same as being broken, losing money is not the same as being lost, and finding your balance is not something you can do on a balance sheet.

 

Having Less Doesn't Mean You Are Less

Don't confuse having less with being less, having more with being more, or what you have with who you are.

 

Savor Life and Slow Down

When you're in a hurry, go slowly. The faster you go in life the sooner it is a blur.

 

Prayer Creates a New Path

Prayer creates a path where there is none and turns your stumbling blocks into building blocks.

 

Courage Is Not Absence of Fear

Put your faith, and not your fears, in charge. Courage isn't the absence of fears but how you wrestle with them.

 

Embrace the Future

If you're busy hugging the past, you can't embrace the future. Don't let the past kidnap your future.

 

Change Is the Only Constant

This too shall pass. Change is the only constant. In order to take a breath, you must release your breath.

 

Make a Difference

Do what you can, but never forget that letting go is very different from giving up. Of all the things you can make in life, remember you make all the difference in your life.

 

Embrace Happiness

Tough times don't require you to be tough on yourself. Find the courage to embrace happiness.

 

You Are Great

Things don't have to be good for you to be great.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Poet-philosopher Noah benShea is author of The Journey to Greatness and How to Get There (Corwin Press, 2009). A Pulitzer Prizenominee, he has also been quoted on 30 million Starbucks coffee cups . Noah benShea is the International Best-Selling author of 22 books translated into a eighteen languages. Visit him at www.NoahbenShea.com

Inspiration for Today

You will find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make earnest effort to confer that pleasure on others? Half the battle is gained if you never allow yourself to say anything gloomy.

~Lydia M. Child

ARISE AND REBUILD

By William Baldwin

Nehemiah 4:2 "Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish-stones that are burned?" I was only a boy, maybe ten years old, when I was awakened on an unusually warm autumn night by the siren of the local volunteer fire department. Mom in her nightgown, Dad in his boxers, and me in my racecar pajamas stood in our back yard watching flames lick the starlit sky. It was an eerie sight. The largest, most prestigious house in our very middle class community was on fire.

The next morning Dad and I walked down the road to check out the damage. Our neighbors, who beat us to the scene, were already gawking at the white, two-story icon, now a smoldering pile of ruins. The chimney still stood like a "Washington Monument "to its former glory. It was hard for me to believe. Such a stately house, the nicest on our little street, was a heap of coals. I watched trails of smoke still rising from blackened wood and stone. The ornate furniture, up-to-date appliances, and beautiful woodworking were completely charred.

You know, houses aren't the only thing susceptible to catch fire and burn. People get burnt too. I'm sure some of you have been burned, haven't you? The stories are similar. With a promising future you walked into life with confidence. Then, like the big white house in my neighborhood, an unexpected catastrophe occurred and you were seared by life's flames. Burnt. Unrecognizable.

You watched as smoke rose from what was left of yesterday's optimism and prosperity. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't part of the plan. You're not the first one to experience such heartache. Nehemiah experienced the adversity of being burned. The hometown he and his people revered had been completely destroyed by fire. Jerusalem's wall, the spiritual emblem of national strength and dignity was torched. By his own admission he was overcome with grief as he recalled its former glory.

What makes the devastation worse is in knowing what once was. Remembering how great things were makes the present misfortune feel all the more hopeless. It's a lot like staring at the biggest house in your community lying in a pile of ashes. We all have mental photos, flashbacks of our life before we were burned. There's the daddy pushing you in a swing, a mother cooking, a happily married occasion, a healthy child, and a younger you. Likewise, you see the college degree you never finished, the friend who hurt you, the prayer that wasn't answered, a worthless 401(k) with no retirement benefits, and the pink-slip from the company you invested your life in.

Smoldering histories, they're reminders of the great fire, that catastrophic event when you were burnt. The question arises, "What now?" When Nehemiah heard about his beloved Jerusalem he was overcome with sorrow. His mind pulled up the photos of better days, the way God intended things to be, and he just couldn't handle his emotions. Can you hear his anguish? "I sat down and wept, mourned, fasted and prayed" (Neh 1:4).

Nehemiah's emotional response is predictable, but what he did next was not. While Nehemiah prayed, he stumbled onto praying the answer. "Give your servant success TODAY" (Neh 1:11, emphasis mine). When you spend time calling out to God sometimes you pray the answer, if even by mistake. He knew he couldn't go back to the innocent years when the wall was first built, but he could use what he was left with "TODAY."

From that prayer, Nehemiah determined to rebuild the wall with the rubbish of its former glory. I imagine Nehemiah rummaging through the debris of the old, burned down wall, picking out burnt, but usable stones to rebuild with. It took some work, but he and a handful of faithful, tenacious men rebuilt the city wall using burnt stones from yesterday's tragedy. Scripture records, "The wall was built" (Neh 7:1). Using "leftovers", Nehemiah built a new wall that restored hope to his people and gave glory to God.

You thought you could never again be used as you once were. Ever since your "fire", you declared you would not trust again, teach again, work again, speak again, write again, or love again. You've said that that chapter in your life had closed. Well, maybe it's time to think again. Burnt stones are not only usable, they're desirable.

Years after the neighborhood mansion had been leveled by fire I was invited into the new house the family had rebuilt. I was about sixteen years old when I walked through the front door into a large living room that was designed around the most beautiful fireplace I had ever seen. It was made from unusual looking, dark colored stones that rose to the ceiling, mounted with a stunning mantel made from some sort of darkened wood. It was built to overwhelm you when you walked into the room, and that it did! "Whoa!" The words jumped out of my mouth before I realized it. The owner smiled and said, "Everybody likes the fireplace. The stones came from what was left over from the fire six years ago. And the mantelpiece is made from several floor beams that didn't completely burn up."

Amazing how something so beautiful can be built from scorched wood and burnt stones. You need to know that God uses burnt stones. The Lord searches through the fragments of our hardships, picking up the scraps He can use again. He helps people who have been burned to get up and rebuild their dreams and fulfill their destiny. And today, of all the people on the planet, He's chosen you, burnt, but still beautiful. Don't you think the time has come for you to arise and rebuild?

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bill William is a writer, author, public speaker, and pastor in North Carolina where he lives with his beautiful wife, Karen, daughter Karly, and two dogs, Rosie and Gracie. You can reach him at billbaldwin@ctc.net or check his website http://www.billbaldwin.org

Motivation for Today

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go.

~Dr. Seuss

Motivation for Today

An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.

~Author unknown, commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin