Inspirational Stories #12

Biblical Road Signs

Old Testament Road Signs

At the Sinai desert: "Winding road next 40 years"
At the Red Sea: "Caution! Subject to sudden flooding"
At Jericho: "Sound horn for service"
At Sodom and Gomorrah: "Watch for falling rocks"

New Testament Road Signs

At the wide gate: "Wrong way! Do not enter!"
At the Via Dolorosa: "Yield to cross traffic ahead"
On the road to Damascus (for Paul): "U-turn ahead"
On road to Heaven: "One Way"

The Dollar Bill

A well worn dollar bill and a similarly distressed twenty arrived at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to be retired. As they moved along the conveyor belt to the shredder they struck up a conversation.

The twenty reminised about its travels all over the country. "I've had a pretty good life", the twenty proclaimed. "Why I've been to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, the finest restaraunts in New York, performances on Broadway and even a cruise from Miami."

"Wow!", said the single, "you really have gotten around."

"So tell me", says the twenty, "where have you been throughout your lifetime?"

"Oh, I've been to the Methodist Church, the Baptist Church, the Lutheran Church ...."

And the twenty says, "What's a church?"

It was only four days before Christmas. The spirit of the season hadn't yet caught up with me, even though cars packed the parking lot of our local discount store. Inside the store, it was worse. Shopping carts and last minute shoppers jammed the aisles.

Why did I come today? I wondered. My feet ached almost as much as my head. My list contained names of several people who claimed they wanted nothing but I knew their feelings would be hurt if I didn't buy them anything.

Buying for someone who had everything and deploring the high cost of items, I considered gift-buying anything but fun.

Hurriedly, I filled my shopping cart with last minute items and proceeded to the long checkout lines. I picked the shortest but it looked as if it would mean at least a 20 minute wait.

In front of me were two small children, a boy of about 5 and a younger girl. The boy wore a ragged coat. Enormously large, tattered tennis shoes jutted far out in front of his much too short jeans. He clutched several crumpled dollar bills in his grimy hands.

The girl's clothing resembled her brother's. Her head was a matted mass of curly hair. Reminders of an evening meal showed on her small face. She carried a beautiful pair of shiny, gold house slippers. As the Christmas music sounded in the store's stereo system, the girl hummed along, off-key but happily.

When we finally approached the checkout register, the girl carefully placed the shoes on the counter. She treated them as though they were a treasure. The clerk rang up the bill. "That will be $6.09," she said.

The boy laid his crumpled dollars atop the stand while he searched his pockets. He finally came up with $3.12. "I guess we will have to put them back, " he bravely said. "We will come back some other time, maybe tomorrow."

With that statement, a soft sob broke from the little girl. "But Jesus would have loved these shoes," she cried.

"Well, we'll go home and work some more. Don't cry. We'll come back," he said.

Quickly I handed $3.00 to the cashier. These children had waited in line for a long time. And, after all, it was christmas.

Suddenly a pair of arms came around me and a small voice said, "Thank you lady."

"What did you mean when you said Jesus would like the shoes?" I asked.

The boy answered, "Our mommy is sick and going to heaven. Daddy said she might go before Christmas to be with Jesus."

The girl spoke, "My sunday school teacher said the streets in heaven are shiny gold, just like these shoes. Won't mommy be beautiful walking on those streets to match these shoes?"

My eyes flooded as I looked into her tear streaked face. "Yes" I answered, " I am sure she will."

Silently I thanked God for using these children to remind me of the true spirit of giving."

-Author unknown

The Tea Cup

An American couple went to England to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They were fanciers of antiques, pottery and fine china. They were sightseeing when they came to Sussex and passed a small china shop. They stopped, backed up and went in. Their eyes singled out a little teacup on the top shelf. "May I see that?" he asked. "I've never seen a teacup like that...It's so beautiful!"

Suddenly the teacup spoke!

You don't understand, I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and over. I yelled out, "Let me alone!" He only smiled and said, "Not yet."

Then he placed me on a spinning wheel. Suddenly I was spinning around and around and around. "Stop it...I'm getting dizzy!" I screamed. The Master only nodded and said, "Not yet!"

Next he put me in an oven. I'd never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted me to burn. I yelled and I knocked on the door. I could see him through the opening and I read his lips. He shook his head and said, "Not yet!"

"Whew!" Finally when the door opened, he put me on a shelf and I began to cool. "There, that's better," I said. However, he began to brush and paint me. The fumes were horrible and I thought I would gag. "Stop it! Stop it! I cried. He only said, "Not yet!"

Next he put me back into another oven. Twice as hot as the first one. I thought I would suffocate. I begged, pleaded, screamed and cried! I could see him shaking his head and saying, "Not yet!"

When I knew there was no hope, I would never make it and I was ready to give up, the door opened, he took me out and placed me on a shelf. An hour later he handed me a mirror and said, "Look at yourself!"

I did and said, "That's not me! It couldn't be me! I'm beautiful!"

"I want you to remember," he said, "that I know it hurt to be rolled and patted, but if I would have left you, you would have dried up."

"I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled."

"I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you in there, you would have cracked."

"I know the fumes were bad when I brushed you and painted you all over, but if I hadn't you would never have hardened and there would be no color in your life."

"If I hadn't put you in the second oven, you would not have survived very long and the hardness would not have held."

"Now you are beautiful and you're what I envisioned when I first began!"

An Angel Named Howard

Katherine was having a bad day and luckily a good friend and accountability partner of hers, Mary, noticed and wanted to talk about it.

They were talking about her feeling of loneliness. Katherine just really didn't feel special to anyone, but she knew that God was special through her to many people everyday. She knew God loved her, but she just desired to know that someone on earth loved her for who she is.

Then a man came into the room in which they were speaking. He threw some trash away and left. The two women continued their conversation and the man returned to throw more trash away.

Katherine noticed the man this time. He was about 6'4", with crystal blue eyes, and golden curls on his head. She remarked that she really liked his hair. The man laughed and then he told Katherine of how much he used to hate his hair-how he permed it straight once, and by 24 hours it was curly again...Katherine laughed with him because she also struggled with her wavy hair and freckles. He commented that he liked her freckles and her eyes.

Katherine asked her new friend what his name was. He replied that it was Howard. He was just visiting the area for the day and he would soon return home to England. Katherine told him that she used to live in England and they began to speak of how the cultures differed. He remarked that most English people were introverts and that it took a while for them to be comfortable talking with strangers.

Mary watched this whole conversation and she and Katherine were sad to see Howard go when his friend came down to find him. Howard said he was glad to have met the two ladies and he gave them each 2 kisses-one on each cheek, as he parted.

Katherine and Mary giggled about this "chance" encounter and then Mary really spoke to Katherine's heart....She said, "Katherine, don't you realize that was exactly what you needed? (Katherine was beaming and obviously in a much better mood than before she met Howard)...Howard did not even know you, yet you took the time to tell a total stranger that you liked something about him. It was your spirit he was attracted to and that led the two of you into a conversation...all those little things (the things God has blessed you with to make you the unique person that you are) Howard noticed and complimented you on..He also touched you and God knows that touch is special to you....He spoke of how introverted British people are, yet look at how un-introverted he was....Katherine, Howard was a gift from God."

Katherine felt a warm smile creep up from the bottom of her heart as she realized that Howard looked just like what she always pictured angels to look like, he did give her an innocent kiss (and she hadn't been kissed in a long time), and he did really make her feel special and loved for who she is, and so she thanked God right then and there for her friend, "Howard the angel."

Call it coincidence, or call it a spiritual encounter...I for one, know that angels are among us....God sends angels to work through people who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose..to those who are sensitive to the Spirit, and I am SO glad He does.

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