Even a donkey can inspire you!

This is the first in the series of motivational stories. Who would have thought a donkey could teach us some valuable lessons?


One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down.A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping-stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
Free your heart from hatred
Free your mind from worries
Live simply
Give more
Expect less

The Paradoxical Commandments

First heard about this at a workshop by Dr Kent. Somehow, this one's harder to follow than the Ten Commandments themselves.

For those of us who have tried and failed, please persevere. The only way to strengthen our faith is to show mercy to all.

The Paradoxical Commandments

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.

Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you have anyway.

by Dr. Kent M. Keith

The Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth,

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are perscuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5: 10

Through the Camera Lens

Photography

(All images taken by me, Jan 2008)

"It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary." ~ David Bailey

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Couldn't really think of a title for this post so I decided to leave it blank at first. Then I thought this might be quite appropriate.

One of my colleagues sent us an email about a man named Nick Vujicic. I visited the website to find out more. Here's the link.

http://www.gospelforafrica.eu/Verschiedenes/English/Nick%20Vujicic/Vujicic%20Nick.htm

Most of us go about our daily activities on two feet, worry about what shoes we should match with which bag etc. But after reading about Nick, I thought " what fools we have been".

I watched Evan Almighty a few weeks ago. Evan was instructed to build an ark by God. The reply he gave God was " I have made so many plans. Building an ark is not one of them." God laughs and says " YOU have made plans?"

If only we could leave it all up to Him and trust that He knows what's best for us and stick with His plan, we might spend more time living and less time worrying, don't you think?

" Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6: 25-27

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Footprints

The first time I read this poem must have been years ago. But the effect, it has on me has remained the same.

Click on the link below to read and feel.

http://www.llerrah.com/footprints.htm


"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" ----- Matthew 6:25,27

Laugh and the world laughs with you...

He who laughs, lasts!

• Our 5 senses are incomplete without the 6th - a sense of humour
• Supress neither a sneeze nor a laugh
• Laugh at yourself. Laugh with others.
• You know you have a good sense of humour if you can laugh when someone tells your joke better than you.
• If you can laugh at yourself, you are guaranteed a lifetime of chuckling.
• If you doubt God has a sense of humour, look in the mirror.
• A true sense of humour does not rely on the humilation of others.
• Humour works best when it brings joy to others.

Quoted from "God Is In The Small Stuff And It All Matters" (Bickel B and Jantz S 1998)

Just a book I borrowed from the NLB.

For those of us who have had no time to laugh or are just too seriously absorbed in whatever it is that we do everyday, the mirror might be just the thing we need!

"You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. "

----- Michael Pritchard