Gratitude That God Deserves
There was
a man who was immensely thankful to the Lord God because he had been rescued
from a life-threatening danger. He asked his friend what he had to do to show
his gratitude to God. The friend told him the following story:
There was
a man who was in love with a woman and wanted her to marry him. However, she
had completely different plans. One day, when they were walking down the
street, the woman was almost hit by a car. She survived only thanks to the man
who immediately pulled her back to the sidewalk. The woman turned to him and
said, “Thanks! I agree to marry you now.”
– What do
you think the man was feeling at that moment? – the friend asked.
The man
sneered and didn’t answer.
– Guess
what, – the friend said, – God may be feeling the same about you now.
Trust God
A man
asked a sage:
– Why do
I have to obey commandments when I don’t get palpable profit?
– When
you are sick, you send for a doctor, don’t you? – the sage replied, – and the
doctor prescribes you a medicine. Do you always know why he gives you this or
that medicine? You trust the doctor who treats your body, and you take the
pill. Why don’t you trust God who heals your soul?
Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of
the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath
commanded thee. (Deuteronomy 6:17)
Buying Life
There was
a businessman who made millions of dollars. He decided that he would finally
take a year off work and live in luxury, which he could so easily afford. As
soon as he made up his mind, he saw the Angel of Death.
The
businessman was adept at bargaining, so he made an attempt to talk the Angel
into selling him some time.
– Give me
three days and take one third of my wealth.
The Angel
of Death refused.
– All
right, take two… no, three millions then! Give me just one day to enjoy the
beauty of earth and visit my family whom I haven’t seen in ages.
The Angel
of Death was adamant.
Then the
businessman began begging the Angel to allow him to write a farewell note to
his son. The Angel agreed.
“Use time
wisely. I couldn’t buy even a single hour of life for all my millions,” the man
wrote.
… as thy life was much set by this day in
mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him
deliver me out of all tribulation. (1 Samuel 26:24)
An Empty Pouch
A man who
wanted to dedicate all his life to serving God and people but had committed
many evil actions came to a wise man.
– I’m a
loser, – the man sighed. – I’m haunted by misfortunes.
– You’re
like a beggar, – the sage said. – You’re trying to please passers-by but your
pouch is empty. It makes your actions imperfect. Here is a valuable piece of
advice for you: take care of your soul and enrich it with the joy of serving
God; collect the rays of His grace in your soul. It’s the only way for you to
be useful to other people. The more heavenly riches you collect in your pouch,
the more you will be able to spread it in this world.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon
earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and
steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:19-21)
A Miser
There was
a miser who hid a lot of money in a basement wall. He came to that wall every
day to keep an eye on his treasure.
One day,
some workers were curious about that man’s weird behavior. They spied on him
and stole the money.
The miser
was extremely depressed. He was sitting and crying at the basement door all day
long.
A wise
old man walked past the miser. He asked what had happened. When the miser told
him about his loss, the wise man handed him a stone and said, “Here is a stone
for you. Hide it in the wall and stop crying. You didn’t spend any of your
money so there’s no difference between it and the stone, is there?”
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly
shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also
bountifully. (2 Cor. 9:6)
Melt The Ice
An elder
and his disciple were strolling by the river bank in winter.
– Master,
why don’t people understand each other? – the disciple asked. – People talk and
read books that teach them to get along with each other, but they still run
into an invisible wall. Why does it happen? Is it impossible to teach them?
– Come
with me, – the elder said and went to the middle of the river. – Look down. Can
you see anything?
– No, I
can’t. How can I see anything through the ice?
– There
is a world that you don’t know of under the ice. If you melt the ice, it will
turn into water that gives life to the whole world. However, if you pour water
on the ice, it will freeze and make the ice stronger. The ice that you are
talking about can only be melted with love.
And I have declared unto them thy name, and
will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and
I in them (John 17:26)
Three Masons
There was
a magnificent cathedral being built in Central Europe in the XIV century. The
supervisor of the construction site was a monk, charged with overseeing all
unskilled workers and craftsmen. The monk decided to check the work of stone
masons. He picked out three masons and invited them to talk about their work.
He asked
the first mason:
– Dear
brother, tell me about your job.
The mason
stopped to answer the question. His voice was trembling from anger and
indignance:
– You
see, I sit in front of a stone plate half a meter wide and long. As I hit the stone,
I feel how a piece of my life disappears. Can you see my hands? They are worn
off and covered with sores. My face is wrinkled and my hair is white. This work
will never end. It keeps going day after day. It’s exhausting. Is there an end
to it? No! I will die long before the day when the cathedral is built.
The monk
went to the second mason:
– Dear
brother, – he said, – tell me about your job.
– As you
can see, Brother, – the mason responded in a quiet and calm voice, – I sit in
front of a one meter wide and one meter high stone plate. As I work my way
through the stone, I feel that I create life and the future. See, I have
managed to earn a comfortable house for my family, which is much more
comfortable than the one I grew up in. My children go to school. Undoubtedly,
they will achieve more than I have achieved. It was made possible thanks to my
job. I give my skills to the cathedral, and it endowes me with lots of good in
return.
The monk
came to the third mason:
–
Brother, – he said, – tell me about your job.
– You
see, brother, – the third mason beamed with joy, - You see, I sit in front of a
stone plate one meter high and half a meter wide and long. Every time I hit it
with my tools I feel that I cut out my fate. Can you see the amazing traits
showing up from the stone? As I sit here, I don’t just put my skills to use, I
contribute to the things that I value and believe in. The Universe reflected in
this cathedral will pay every one of us back. As I sit here, I am at peace with
myself, and I know that even if I don’t see this cathedral finished, it will
remain for thousands of years and demonstrate the truth we find inside us. I’m
happy to be serving the purpose that the Almighty set for me.
The monk
went away and kept thinking about the things he had heard. He fell asleep and
had a very peaceful dream. The following day, he renounced his duties of a
supervisor and offered his post to the third mason.
Translated from: https://azbyka.ru/days
CONVERSATION