A gift...take time to reflect!
By sharie16
@sharie16 (2212)
Philippines
November 1, 2008 5:22am CST
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he
had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his
father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As
Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had
purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father
called him into his private study.
His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him
how much he loved him.
He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat
disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely,
leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily,
he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give
me a Bible? and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had
a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very
old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since
that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a
telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his
possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of
things.
When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his
heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the
still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened
the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined
a verse: Matt 7:11, "And if ye, being evil know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven,
give to those who ask Him?" As he read those words, a car key dropped from
the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer
who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his
graduation, and the words... PAID IN FULL.
How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as
we expected? I trust you enjoyed this.
Pass it on to others. Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have
not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only
hoped for...
IF YOUR GIFT IS NOT PACKED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT'S BECAUSE IT IS BETTER
PACKED THAT WAY! ALWAYS APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS; THEY USUALLY LEAD YOU TO
ATTACHMENTS!
4 people like this
6 responses
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
3 Nov 08
The story is nice.. IT's true about our character and our impatience in life ^_^ PLus, we are too pampered in life that we take everything for granted.. ANd we expect to receive what we want as long as we work hard, and we only believe in what we see..
BUt that's a very wrong thinking.. There are many ple in life whom had worked very hard but they din succeed, and when all others were to believe in what they see, they will never succeed in life.. All good things are meant to be discovered and in his case, this young man dun even have the patience and can only regret when his father had passed away..
SO even though he finally got the thing he wanted, but it's at the expenses of jis father's life.. It's not worth it at all..
2 people like this
@sharie16 (2212)
• Philippines
12 Nov 08
yes...we should not be greedy and take everything for granted...we should always know how to forgive and forget while it's not too late...it's sad to know that at the end, when everything was gone, that's the time we regret...we should not always account on material things, nut rather be contented on what we have...thus what we expect is more than what material things can give...
thanks for sharing your thought and for reading!
have a nice day! God bless!
3 people like this
@quinnkl (1667)
• United States
2 Nov 08
What a wonderful story. It speaks to the greed and selfishness in the world today. And how much the young expect and how angry they are when they do not receive it for whatever reason! We can all, and I hope we all do, learn much from this. Thank you.
2 people like this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
1 Nov 08
This is a very beautiful story sharie and contains a wonderful message. We have all been guilty of missing the forest for the trees and overlooking the ture essence of something after being blinded by greed or materialistic desires. To use another quote: Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; TEACH a man to fish and he shall eat for a lifetime! Material gains are fleeting yet the combination of shared knowledge and wisdom will hold us in good stead always. The gaining of something tangible without some lesson, subliminal or otherwise; causes the material item to lose its lustre very quickly. A gift can warm the heart on many levels beyond its immediate presence, yet we must firstly open our eyes and our hearts to see it for what it is; and sometimes we must also embrace a journey to truly appreciate it for what it is as well.
1 person likes this
@sheenmadness (1286)
• Philippines
9 Dec 08
Ohhh it's really a wonderful story. It would struck your heart. Especially with persons like me who's always asking for something and often time being blinded by the bountiful blessings God has bestowed on me.
@sweety_81 (2124)
• India
9 Dec 08
Hi Friend,
This is such a touching story . Many a times in our life ; we face some problems . At those times;we immediately start cursing our Fate . We also complain to god . We forget that there is a silver lining behind every dark cloud.We should not become impatient and instead thank god for what we have got .
We should have the courage to face the situation and not complain about anything or about anyone .
Regards
-Sweety_81
1 person likes this
@missybear (11391)
• United States
1 Nov 08
That is so true, i really liked the story and passed it on to my friends.
2 people like this