morethen30motivationalstories-100303094716-phpapp01.ppt

A Butterfly,A man found a cocoon for a butterfly.One day a small opening appeared,he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole.Then it seemed to stop making any progress.It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther.Then the man decided to help the butterfly.He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon.The butterfly then emerged easily.Something was strange.The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings.The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment,the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body,which would contract in time.Neither happened.In fact,the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings.It was never able to fly.What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand,was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon are Gods way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.If God allowed us to go through all our life without any obstacles,that would cripple us.We would not be as strong as what we could have been.Not only that,we could never fly.,A Life Worth Saving,A man risked his life by swimming through the treacherous riptide to save a youngster being swept out to sea.After the child recovered from the harrowing experience,he said to the man,Thank you for saving my life.The man looked into the little boys eyes and said,Thats okay,kid.Just make sure your life was worth saving.,An Obstacle In Your Path,In ancient times,a King had a boulder placed on a roadway.Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.Some of the kings wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear,but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.Upon approaching the boulder,the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road.After much pushing and straining,he finally succeeded.After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables,he noticed a purse laying in the road where the boulder had been.The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.The peasant learned what many of us never understand.Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.,Answered Prayers,A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small,desert like island.The two survivors,not knowing what else to do,agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.However,to find out whose prayer was more powerful,they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.The first thing they prayed for was food.The next morning,the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land,and he was able to eat its fruit.The other mans parcel of land remained barren.After a week,the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife.The next day,another ship was wrecked,and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land.On the other side of the island,there was nothing.Soon the first man prayed for a house,clothes,more food.The next day,like magic,all of these were given to him.However,the second man still had nothing.Finally,the first man prayed for a ship,so that he and his wife would leave the island.In the morning,he found a ship docked at his side of the island.The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island.He considered the other man unworthy to receive Gods blessings,since none of his prayers had been answered.As the ship was about to leave,the first man heard a voice from heaven booming,Why are you leaving your companion on the island?My blessings are mine alone,since I was the one who prayed for them,the first man answered.His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.You are mistaken!the voice rebuked him.He had only one prayer,which I answered.If not for that,you would not have received any of my blessings.Tell me,the first man asked the voice,What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?He prayed that all your prayers be answered.For all we know,our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone,but those of another praying for us.,Believe In Your Heart,Believe in your heart that something wonderful is about to happen.Love your life.Believe in your own powers,and your own potential,and in your own innate goodness.Wake every morning with the awe of just being alive.Discover each day the magnificent,awesome beauty in the world.Explore and embrace life in yourself and in everyone you see each day.Reach within to find your own specialness.Amaze yourself and rouse those around you to the potential of each new day.Dont be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect;this is the essence of your humanity.Let those who love you help you.Trust enough to be able to take.Look with hope to the horizon of today,for today is all we truly have.Live this day well.Let a little sun out as well as in.Create your own rainbows.Be open to all your possibilities;all possibilities and Miracles.Always believe in Miracles.,Born To Fly,Ive been telling my dreams to the scare crow About the places that Id like to see.I say,Friend,do you think Ill ever get there?But he just stands there smiling back at me.So I confess my sins to the preacher.About the love Ive been praying to find.Is there a brown eyed boy in my future?And he says,Girl,youve got nothing but time.But how do wait for heaven?And who has that much time?And how do you keep your feet on the ground,When you know that you were born,You were born to fly?My daddy,hes grounded like the oak tree.My momma,shes steady as the sun.Oh,you know I love my folks,but I keep staring down the road.Just looking for my one chance to run.Yeah,cause I will soar away like the blackbird.I will blow in the wind like a sea I will plant my heart in the garden of my dreams And I will grow up where Ill wander wild and free.But how do you wait for heaven?And who has that much time?And how do you keep your feet on the ground When you know you were born,You were born to fly?,Do You Believe,One day a 6 year old girl was sitting in a classroom.The teacher was going to explain evolution to the children.The teacher asked a little boy:Tommy do you see the tree outside?TOMMY:Yes.TEACHER:Tommy,do you see the grass outside?TOMMY:Yes.TEACHER:Go outside and look up and see if you can see the sky.TOMMY:Okay.(He returned a few minutes later)Yes,I saw the sky.TEACHER:Did you see God?TOMMY:No.TEACHER:Thats my point.We cant see God because he isnt there.He doesnt exist.A little girl spoke up and wanted to ask the boy some questions.The teacher agreed and the little girl asked the boy:Tommy,do you see the tree outside?TOMMY:Yes.LITTLE GIRL:Tommy do you see the grass outside?TOMMY:Yessssss(getting tired of the questions by this time).LITTLE GIRL:Did you see the sky?TOMMY:Yessssss LITTLE GIRL:Tommy,do you see the teacher?TOMMY:Yes LITTLE GIRL:Do you see her brain?TOMMY:No LITTLE GIRL:Then according to what we were taught today in school,she must not have one!FOR WE WALK BY FAITH,NOT BY SIGHT,Eagles And Storms,Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.When the storm hits,it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm.While the storm rages below,the eagle is soaring above it.The eagle does not escape the storm.It simply uses the storm to lift it higher.It rises on the winds that bring the storm.When the storms of life come upon us-and all of us will experience them-we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God.The storms do not have to overcome us.We can allow Gods power to lift us above them.God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness,tragedy,failure and disappointment in our lives.We can soar above the storm.Remember,it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down,it is how we handle them.,Focus For Life,Whatever you dwell upon in your mind,you give power to.So of course it makes sense to focus on what you want rather than what you dont want.Yet there are many ways in which the things you dont want can sneak into your thinking.Worry and doubt focus your thinking on what you dont want.Rather than worrying about the bad things that might happen,direct your actions toward making positive things happen.Complaining can also get your mind sidetracked into thinking about what you dont want.What do you complain about?The things you dont like.Rather than complaining,take action.Action moves you toward what you do want.Anger is one more way to get your thinking negatively directed.Rather than getting angry about what you dont like,use that energy to give you determination for what you want to achieve.Keep your mind positively focused on the good things that life can offer.Those things will grow stronger and more abundant in your world.,How Poor Are We,One day a father and his rich family took his son to a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be.They spent a day and a night in the farm of a very poor family.When they got back from their trip the father asked his son,How was the trip?Very good Dad!replied his son.Did you see how poor people can be?the father asked.Yeah!And what did you learn?The son answered,I saw that we have a dog at home,and they have four.We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden;they have a creek that has no end.We have imported lamps in the garden;they have the stars.Our patio reaches to the front yard,they have a whole horizon.When the little boy was finishing,his father was speechless.His son added,Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are!Our outlook on life depends on the way you look at things.What others may think as riches,others may want.The most important things in life are your friends,family,health,good humor and a positive attitude towards life.If you have these then you have everything!,If And When,IF and WHEN were friends.Every week they met and had lunch.Their conversation usually centered on all the things they were going to achieve.They both had many dreams and they loved to talk about them.This particular Saturday when they met,WHEN sensed that IF was not in a great mood.As usual they sat at the table reserved for them and ordered their lunch.Once they placed their order,WHEN questioned IF.IF what is wrong with you?You dont seem your usual cheery self?IF looked at WHEN and replied,Im not sure,I just dont feel like I am making any progress.This last week I saw a course I wanted to take if only I had the time to take it.WHEN knew exactly how IF felt.Yeah,replied WHEN,I too saw a course and I am going to register when I get enough money together.WHEN then said,well what about that new job you were going to apply for.You were so excited about it last week,did you apply?IF responded,If my computer didnt break down last week,I would have applied.But,my computer is not working,so I could not type my resume.Dont worry about it IF,when you are ready another job will come through.I have been thinking about looking for another job also,but I will wait and when the weather gets nicer I will look then.WHEN then went on to tell IF about his week,hoping that it would cheer him up a bit.The man at the next table couldnt help overhear WHEN and IF.They both were talking about when this and if that,finally he couldnt take it anymore.Excuse me gentlemen,the man said.IF and WHEN both looked at the man and wondered what he wanted.The man continued,Im sorry,but I couldnt help hearing your conversation.I think I know how you could solve your problems.IF smiled and thought,how could a complete stranger know how to solve all of their problems.If only he knew.When he realized the challenges they faced there was no way he could solve their problems!Curious,IF asked the gentleman,How do you think you can solve our problems?The gentleman smiled and said,You only need listen to yourselves.It reminds me of an old proverb:If and When were planted,and Nothing grew.IF and WHEN looked puzzled.The gentleman smiled and said,Start counting how many times you use the words if and when.Rather than thinking if and when,start doing,take action,stop talking about if and when.IF and WHEN both looked surprised,and suddenly realized that what the gentleman had said was so true.Both of them were guilty of thinking,acting and living their life for the ifs and whens.The gentleman left and IF and WHENs conversation changed.They made a pact that when they met for lunch next week,there would be no ifs and whens;they would only talk about what they accomplished.,Life Is,Life is a challenge-meet it.Life is a gift-accept it.Life is an adventure-dare it.Life is a sorrow-overcome it.Life is a tragedy-face it.Life is a duty-perform it.Life is a game-play it.Life is a mystery-unfold it.Life is a song-sing it.Life is an opportunity-take it.Life is a journey-complete it.Life is a promise-fulfill it.Life is a beauty-praise it.Life is a struggle-fight it.Life is a goal-achieve it.Life is a puzzle-solve it.Life is eternal-believe it.,Love In The Home,If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place,but have not love,I am a housekeeper-not a homemaker.If I have time for waxing,polishing,and decorative achievements,but have not love,my children learn cleanliness-not godliness.Love leaves the dust in search of a childs laugh.Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.Love is present through the trials.Love reprimands,reproves,and is responsive.Love crawls with the baby,walks with the toddler,runs with the child,then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.Love is the key that opens salvations message to a childs heart.Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection.Now I glory in Gods perfection of my child.As a mother,there is much I must teach my child,but the greatest of all is love.,Nine Requisites For Contended Living,1.HEALTH enough to make work a pleasure.2.WEALTH enough to support your needs.3.STRENGTH to battle with difficulties and overcome them.4.GRACE enough to confess your sins and forsake them.5.PATIENCE enough to toil until some good is accomplished.6.CHARITY enough to see some good in your neighbor.7.LOVE enough to move you to be