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what goes around comes around

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road,
but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he
pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still
sputtering when he approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to
help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look
safe; he looked poor and hungry.
He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold.
He knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you.
He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car
where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson."
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad
enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the
jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire.
But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and
began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was
only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she
owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already
imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not
stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job
to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were
plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole
life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time
she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the
assistance they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me."
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold
and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home,
disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to
grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg
of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two
old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came
over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet
smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't
erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant,
but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old
lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.
After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill.
The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill,
but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the
time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could
be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.
There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You
don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me
out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here
is what you
do: Do not let this chain of love end with you."
Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.
Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to
serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when
she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the
money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how
much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it
was going to be hard....
She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to
her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's
going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson."
There is an old saying "What goes around comes around." Today, I sent
you this story and I'm asking you to pass it on... Let this light shine.

never quit

One day, I decided to quit. I wanted to quit my job to quit my relationships, to quit my spirituality; I even wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said, "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me. "Look around", He said, "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth.  Its Brilliant green covered the floor.  Yet nothing come from the bamboo seed.  But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo."

"In the third year there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit."

"In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still, I would not quit."

"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the  earth.  Compared to the fern it was seemly small and insignificant.  But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.

It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge they could not handle," He said to me.
"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo and I will never quit on you!  Don't compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come," God said to me. "You will rise high."

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return. 

“ As high as it can"  I questioned.

"Yes", He said, "Give Me glory by rising as high as you can. And remember...I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I will never give up on you. I will never, ever quit on you."

Everyone has days when they want to "quit". When there are struggles...obstacles in life, remember we're just growing roots!! God has a purpose in mind for each one of us and we need to talk to Him and let Him help us realize that purpose.

Always remember, He will never leave us, He will never forsake us, and He will never quit on us.

 

Be Encouraged Today