The following is a story that I have heard for many years and each time I read it I gain a better understanding of why friends are important and why each one of us should slow down and smell the roses of life.
Not everyone is going to have a successful life and the reasoning for this is that we don’t put enough into it. Many of us expect our riches to be handed to us on a silver platter so that we don’t have to scratch, dig, and work as our forefathers did.
Some of us have been blessed with many pleasures and riches of life that we probably don’t deserve. The older I get the more I realize what I was trying to achieve through my goals of growing up, taking a wife, having a family, and finding my place in the world won’t mean a hill of beans the day I close my eyes for the last time.
Don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying to not have goals, because if you succeed in this world, you must have them. You must have a vision for what you want to accomplish in life and that vision has to have the Lord Jesus Christ leading the way.
Friends are a must and everyone should have a best friend, someone who will pick you up when you are at an all-time low in spirit and scraping your belly on the ground. Attitude will determine which direction you will go. Are you going to be negative or positive?
Most people say you must win to get ahead and to do this some people are going to get stepped on along the way. Winning is good if you gain the victory in a gracious tone and don’t try to step ahead of others trying to succeed also.
Psalm 37:23-24 tells us “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”
I firmly believe that if we will work hand-in-hand and build a solid future for all of those around us, we can all be winners. In my opinion the losers are going to be the doubters and the non-risk takers.
The Bible tells us that if we believe and trust in the Lord to lead us and guide us, He will not let us down. Then through our efforts we should let our life show to all of those around us that the Lord is our strength, and He takes care of us. Through this awesome leadership and care given to us from Jesus Christ, we are able to help those around us.
Read the following and see if you agree that everyone can walk hand-in-hand across the finish line and be winners.
Some people understand life better, and they call some of these people "retarded"...
At a Special Olympics race, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry.
The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back.
Then they all turned around and went back.. every one of them. One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better."
Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood. The cheering went on for several minutes.
People who were there are still telling the story. Why?
Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.
If we will take the time and slow down, we may be able to change our hearts as well as someone else's. "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle."
Friends Make The World Go Round!
