Now I want you to think about this. You will be amazed at how people would change when the change starts with you. And couldn’t it be possible that God is using other people to work on you?
Never forget. Behind every successful man stands…….a surprised mother-in-law.

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A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.

“Mom and dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring home with me.”

“Sure,” they replied. “We’d love to meet him.”

“There’s something you should know,” the son continued. “He was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.”

“I’m sorry to hear that son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.”

“No, mom and dad, I want him to live with us.”

“Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden to us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide.

The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know – their son had only one arm and one leg.[1]

The parents in this story are not unlike many of us. We find it easy to accept those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don’t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who are not as healthy, beautiful or as smart as we are.

Take a look around you. In every office or every work place there are those who are hurting and are crying for help. But the thing that makes all this difficult is that there is an unwritten law that every one is to keep it inside, they do not want to look weak. It is important to project an image of strength and stability. But deep inside the heart lurkes discomfort and pain.

Remember this: People who are hurting will always hurt other people.

You find them irritable, offensive, you don’t like the way they speak, they act and they way the treat you but maybe deep inside them, they feel they are not accepted.

To get beneath the facade and know the hurts and pains in the heart of this oppressive person. Reach out and be a friend. Respond to their cries for help and be willing to accept them as a friend.

Thankfully, God loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into His Presence no matter who we are or how handicapped we are in life. We’ve made a mess of our lives but He still loves us so much He gave His life for us. And the love and the forgiveness we now receive from Him should also be share with those who need it don’t you think so?

If you feel you’re hurting in life and that you can’t cope anymore, there is One who will never reject you and He is more than willing to accept you into His loving arms. His name is Jesus. Call on Him with your whole heart and He will certainly respond.

Source: Hot Illustrations For Yourth Talks

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It is important to know the character of the people who will partner with you in business. Without trust there is no partnership.

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When he was two years old, this adopted child of two college professors suddenly and inexplicably stopped growing, and his health started to fail. A team of doctors gave him six months to live after they diagnosed him as suffering from a rare disease that inhibits digestion and nutrients in food. Intravenous feedings of vitamins and supplements allowed him to regain his strength, but his growth was permanently stunted.

Confined to hospitals for long periods of time, until the age of nine, he quietly plotted his revenge on the kids who taunted him and called him “peanut.”

He recalled many years later that subconsciously “the whole experience made me want to succeed at something athletic.” Sometimes his sister, Susan, went ice skating at the local rink, and he would go along to watch. There he stood, a frail, under grown kid, with a feeding tube inserted through his nose and down into his stomach. When he wasn’t using it, one end of the tube was taped behind his ear.

One day, as he watched his sister whirl around the ice, he turned to his parents and said, “You know, I think I’d like to try ice skating.” Talk about two adults, looking at their life-threatened child, with glances that were beyond belief! Well, he tried it and he loved it, and he went at it with a passion. Here was something fun at which he could excel, where height and weight weren’t important.

During his medical checkup the following year, the doctors were startled to discover that he had actually started growing again. It was too late for him to reach normal size, but neither he nor his family cared. He was recovering and succeeding. He believed in his dream, although he had little else to hang on to.

None of the kids taunt him and tease him today. Instead, they all cheer and rush to get his autograph. He has just completed another dazzling performance on the world professional ice skating tour, with a long string of triple jumps, complicated maneuvers, and athletic moves, capped off with a racing front flip that brought him to a sudden stop inches from the audience. Although he has retired from professional skating, he remains a coach, mentor and commentator revered by everyone in winter sports.

At five feet three inches and 115 pounds of pure muscle and electrifying energy, former Olympic gold medal figure skating champion, Scott Hamilton stands as tall and as proud as any winner. Scott’s size didn’t limit his faith and reach. Don’t let doubts and critics limit yours. This doesn’t mean that you’ll close almost every sale or get promoted in record time. Scott Hamilton certainly didn’t hit every triple-axle jump he ever attempted, especially during the initial learning phase. Success in developing any skill requires a basic trust in your ability that should never be allowed to waver.

You can stand tall, no matter how small!

And Dr. Denis Waitley is right. No man has the right to feel inferior unless he or she grants permission according to Eleanor Roosevelt.

Look for the passion. Passion is the fire in your belly that would move you to excel in what you do. Maintain a life of discipline. Love God and do follow His Word and you will discover that you can stand tall no matter how small you and I are.

True success is working well in a job that God wants you to be.

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The sad fellow said, “Let me tell you.  Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me two hundred thousand pesos.”

“That’s not bad.” Said his businessman friend trying to console him.

“Hold on, I’m just getting started.  Two weeks ago, a cousin I never knew had an accident, died and he left me five hundred pesos tax free.”

“I’d like that. But I can’t understand why you’re not happy”

And the sad fellow said, “Last week my grandfather passed away.  I inherited almost two million pesos.”

“The how come you look so glum?”

And with sadness the businessman said, “Of course I’m sad. Look. This week – nothing. Nobody died!”

Some people will never be happy because all they ever wanted is more.

This is an old story but worth its weight in gold to serve as a reminder for life lessons learning.

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”

“It was great, Dad.

“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.

“Oh yeah,” said the son.

“So, tell me, what you learned from the trip?” asked the father.

The son answered:

“I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

“Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

“We have servants, who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs.  We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them.”

The boy’s father was speechless.

Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”

A Chinese proverb says: “He who is content can never be ruined.”

Some people complain all the time.

• “They’re not paying me enough…”
• “The benefits here are lousy…”
• “I never liked my job…”

But wait till a chilling message begins to creep through the corporate grapevine.

• “There’s news that the company has been brought by another and there will be a massive layoff.”
• “Many jobs will be cut and many positions will be declared redundant…”

Suddenly, the tune of the music changes drastically.

Discontent turns into fear.

Grumbling turns into prayers.

And why do we have to allow things like these to happen?

We never appreciate the value of something until that thing is taken away from us.

And why is this so? Because it is so hard for us to learn and understand contentment.

Without contentment, there will always be contention.

Here is the key. Shoot for the best. Excel in whatever field you are in. Dream big dreams but learn to enjoy life’s small pleasures along the way. And when we are faithful in what we do, skilled in the doing and excellent in the things done, the small pleasures turn into opportunities for bigger ones. Enjoy them all.

Paul in the New Testament says: “I have learned to be content in whatever condition I am in.” Somebody says: “To live content with small means, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to the stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never; in a word, to let spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.`

So is this your symphony as well?

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Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame, and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got(,) but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom, and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance, but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters.
How true this is. And Michael Josephson gives us reasons to think.

Have you ever seen aged people in wheelchairs, have you ever seen people in Intensive Care Units, have you ever visited a graveyard?

All the striving, all the achieving, all the awards, recognitions and applause forgotten and what is left will be raw essence.

The raw essence of character built over the years.

I have seen aged people so inspiring they are still inspiring others.

I have seen medically challenged people still reaching out to others and encouraging others even in the midst of their own pains.

I have also seen some rich and powerful people living in their twilight years yet still exuding with the raw essence of greed and selfishness.

I have also seen people in their deathbed still defiant, stubborn and controlling.

At the end of the day and perhaps towards the end of our life’s journey, what will matter is our character.

How do we build our character?

Live a Christ-like life. Read His Words, do what He says regardless of what you currently believe or do not believe. Trust in Him to change you and build you to become the person He wants you to be.

Then you will begin to know Him better. Experience Him better and you become better. Test this and see how the character is built in the process.

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