A feel good story : Lunch with God
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied! "I ate potato chips in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!
Yes this is another one of those email forwards that comes around from time to time and some touch me more than others. Have you realised that even on your darkest day the sudden smile from a stranger or friend suddenly like rays through angry clouds lifts your spirits?
With all the mediums available for communication today, people are losing the art of communication and we have to be satisfied with 3rd party applications telling those we care about we love them.
I find myself sometimes struggling to say to those dear to me that I love them. Why? Simply because in losing the art of communicating to each other, we have also lost the skill of forgiveness for the hurts from the past and the disappointments as a result thereof.
- I struggle with forgiving my parents for some things they might have done better or tried harder for me when I was younger. Because we all have our issues with how we believe parents could have done differently for us. Although they probably struggle to forgive me for whatever disappoints I might have caused them - it happens in all families and relationships.
- I struggle with forgiving Jacob for having outlined a lifetime of struggles for me as a single mother raising my 2 girls. And struggle to forgive him with how long this is all taking for me when I want to live my life with as little pain as possible.
- I struggle with forgiving the people at work who turned my undying loyalty for the company and the boss to complete hatred for all and sundry that I made the decision to leave and to leave with no job in hand.
- I struggle with forgiving others who have come into my life, taken what my friendship was worth and walked out without so much as a goodbye.
- But most of all I struggle with forgiving myself for all the decisions I made (which at the time seemed right) that have led me down this path that's pitted me against crossroads, self-esteem and the right to love myself first.
Thankfully though, I still have the eyes of my heart open, to see compassion, kindness, humanity and love in all shapes and forms and to realise God walks with me constantly as I struggle, leading me slowly even as mistakes abound to coming to terms with all things and aiding me identify and change what is within my capacity to.
People are constantly coming into my life when I least expect to run into such persons. Some good, some questionable, but each leaves a lesson upon me. And sometimes even when it seems completely insane to think this way, I feel God speaks to me through these persons.
And I realise then, I am never alone in any of these struggles. For those who aren't religious, they'd probably make fun of my thinking. But I suppose each to his own. In a world where unhappiness and destruction is a norm, the sudden kindness of a stranger, the hug from a loved one reminds me that I am still in the periscope vision of God, and that for all my struggles, these too shall pass and I will be a better person for the lessons learnt.
These thoughts come to me as I sit contemplating my days ahead. All I know is that when you show kindness it comes back to you tenfold when you need it the most.
Have you lunched with God lately? Or maybe one of his many angels ... I've had some recent encounters with people who have reaffirmed my belief that God may have an odd sense of humour but he loves me still :) and that's all that matters.
