Can’t You Hear the Bells

Posted on December 12, 2013 by vincentsmithauthor

I read about a blind man who was invited to a wedding in a very picturesque village chapel.After the service the bridegroom’s mother said to the blind man: ‘What a pity that you couldn’t see the chapel. It really is so lovely, and such a pretty garden.’ But he just shrugged his shoulders and thought to himself: ‘Didn’t she hear the bells?’ For him the sound of the pealing bells before and after the ceremony had been magical. He was enchanted by their tones and patterns. They had filled his heart with a sense of joy and sacredness.
It reminds me that few of us use all our senses to the fullest, and the beauty of that which is sacred can come to us in many ways. Jesus said: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.’ Spiritual joy doesn’t come from what we have on the outside, but rather from what is within us.

Posted in Appreciation, Awareness, Encouragement, Hope, inner peace, Inspirational, Life's journey, satisfaction, Senses, Spiritual Insight, thankfulness, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Cooling Off

Posted on December 12, 2013 by vincentsmithauthor

A metalurgist once told me that in making steel the cooling process is almost as important as the heating. If the cool-down is too fast, it can cause tiny cracks in the metal that lead to metal fatigue. That’s why the newly smelted steel is placed in baths until it attains uniform temperature, and then allowed to cool slowly in the air until it reaches room temperature. This process ensures that the steel has sufficient strength throughout.
Now, we all know that difficult times refine our characters just like smelting refines metal. That’s why the Bible says: “When he has tested me, I shall come through as pure gold.” But we may not be so familiar with the idea of cool-down periods. Those frustrating times of waiting, when nothing seems to be happening, are also part of the Great Refiner’s process in making us strong.

Posted in Appreciation, God, Inspirational, Life's journey, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble | Leave a comment

Searching for What We Already Have

Posted on December 12, 2013 by vincentsmithauthor

Randolph Hearst, founder of a mighty newspaper dynasty, invested a fortune in collecting great works of art, which he then stored away in vaults. He heard about several other masterpieces and decided he had to have them. So he sent his agents abroad to track then down and purchase them. Months went by and eventually his agents returned to tell him that they had finally succeeded in finding those art treasures. And do you know where they found them? They were in Hearst’s own vaults. He’d purchased them years before, but because they had no meaning for him other than as investments, he had forgotten about them.
But isn’t that much like human nature? We spend much of our lives in a quest for things we hope will bring us what, in reality, we already have – if only we stopped long enough to realize it.

Posted in Appreciation, Awareness, Contentment, Life's journey, Living Life, Personal Growth, Riches, satisfaction, Spiritual Insight, thankfulness, wealth | Leave a comment

It’s Not How Much Money You’ve Got

Posted on December 12, 2013 by vincentsmithauthor

G.K.Chesterton, one of the great writers of the last century, once said ‘happiness is not in having more, but in wanting less.’ That doesn’t make sense to most of us because we’ve been brainwashed by consumerism and thousands of advertisements whose only purpose is to increase our dissatisfaction with what we’ve got. And so we vainly search for that illusive happiness in another round of retail therapy, often made possible by digging our way deeper into debt; or else we retreat into resentment because we haven’t the money to buy our way to contentment. Meanwhile the Bible keeps reminding us that real wealth is in our attitude. ‘Godliness with contentment is the greatest gain,’ it tells us.
‘It’s not how much money you’ve got that makes you rich; it’s how content you are with what you do have.’

Posted in Appreciation, Contentment, Encouragement, Faith, Generous spirit, inner peace, Life's journey, Living Life, Money, Riches, satisfaction, Spiritual Insight, thankfulness, Unselfishness, wealth | Leave a comment

Be Not Dismayed

Posted on December 12, 2013 by vincentsmithauthor

J C Penney was a classic American success story. Starting with a tiny store in a small town, he built a retailing empire that stretched across the nation and made him a very wealthy man. However, years later he went through a period of chronic anxiety, so much so that he was admitted to hospital. One night, convinced he was about to die, he wrote farewell letters to his family and lay down for what he thought would be his last sleep. But he was awakened by the sound of singing. He followed the sound to the hospital chapel where people were singing the hymn, “Be not dismayed whate’re betide, God will take care of you.” He said later that something happened inside him which he couldn’t explain, except to say that he felt the presence of God and the assurance He’d always be there.
And we’ll find it too, if we take the time to look for it.

Posted in Encouragement, Faith, God, Healing, Hope, inner peace, Inspirational, Life's journey, Neurosis, Peaceful Sleep, Promise, quietness, Religion, Spiritual Insight, thankfulness, Trials and testings, Trust in God | Leave a comment

Try Telling it to the Elephants

Posted on December 12, 2013 by vincentsmithauthor

Lawrence Anthony is still a legend in South Africa, where he’s known as The Elephant Whisperer. He’s been responsible for rescuing wildlife from human atrocities and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe, including rescuing the animals from the Baghdad zoo during the Iraq War. But it’s not only people who remember him. 2 days after his death thirty one wild elephants, led by 2 large matriarchs, showed up at his home to say goodbye to their friend and saviour. They had walked twenty kilometres to get there. They stayed for 2 days 2 nights without eating anything. Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back home.
It reminds us there’s much more to the Universe than we may understand. Some even say there’s no such thing as God. Try telling that to the elephants!

Posted in Atheism, God, Hope, Inspirational, Intelligence behind the Universe, Life's journey, love, Remembrance, Spiritual Insight, supreme being, thankfulness, Unselfishness | 2 Comments

Everything Prepared for your Arrival

Posted on December 12, 2013 by vincentsmithauthor

I read about a man from Canada who left the frozen north for a holiday in the Florida Sun. His wife was due to follow him next day. When he got to his hotel he sent her an email. Unfortunately he missed one letter in the email address and his message went to an elderly preacher’s wife whose husband had died the day before. When she checked her emails and read the message she let out a scream. Her family rushed in to see this message on her computer: ‘Dearest Wife. Just checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow. PS Sure is hot down here!’
Well. I guess it’s a good thing we don’t have to rely on email messages for information on the after life. But, if we have faith in Jesus, there’s nothing to fear. His message also was ‘I go to prepare a place for you.’ And that is our eternal assurance.

Posted in Faith, Hope, inner peace, Inspirational, Life's journey, old age, pilgrimage, Promise, Religion, Resurrection, Trust in God | Leave a comment

The Triple-filter Test

Posted on December 12, 2013 by vincentsmithauthor

Socrates ,widely acknowledged to be the wisest of men, was once approached by a friend with a bit of gossip about a rival philosopher. But Socrates refused to listen until he’d passed what Socrates called the triple filter test. The first filter was about truth. ‘Are you absolutely sure what you are about to tell me is true?’ he asked. His friend admitted he wasn’t absolutely sure it was. Then Socrates said: ‘Is what you are about to tell me about this man something good?’ The man shook his head. ‘ So,’ Socrates continued, ‘You want to tell me something that may be bad, even though you’re not certain it’s true? So here’s the third filter: ‘If what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me or anyone?’ They are tests we’d do well to apply to ourselves.

Posted in Bitterness, Deceit, Generous spirit, Gentlemanly behaviour, Good Name, Living Life, relationships, Truthfulness, Unselfishness, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Hats off to a black woman

Posted on December 12, 2013 by vincentsmithauthor

Nelson Mandela’s great friend Archbishop Desmond Tutu, says that he was first influenced to become a Christian minister as a boy when he was out walking with his mother. They saw a white man walking towards them, and in those days in South Africa it was expected that a black woman should respectfully step off the pavement and let the white man pass. But on this occasion the white man stepped off the pavement and tipped his hat to her. It was the first time young Desmond had ever seen a white man pay respect to a black woman, and it made a profound impact on him. The white man was an Anglican minister named Trevor Huddleston, and that one simple act of Christian courtesy started a chain of events that led to the most astonishing example of racial reconciliation in human history.

Posted in Christian Courtesy, Desmond Tutu, Encouragement, Gentlemanly behaviour, Inspirational, relationships, Religion, Respect | Leave a comment

With a good ship you can ride it out

Posted on December 12, 2013 by vincentsmithauthor

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, who wrote The Power of Positive Thinking, was once on a ship in the Atlantic threatened by an approaching hurricane. The captain wisely decided to alter course and managed to sail around the worst of the hurricane. Soon after, he invited Dr Peale onto the bridge and explained how he’d laid off a new course to avoid the danger. Dr Peale asked him how he coped with the stress of such unpredictable situations. The captain replied that he’d always lived by a simple philosophy: if the sea is smooth, it will get rough; and if it is rough, it will get smooth. Then he added this gem: ‘But with a good ship,’ he said, “you can always ride it out.” Well, in life our ship is our faith in Christ. Though life for us may also be unpredictable, as the Bible says: ‘If God is for us, who or what can be against us.’

Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, inner peace, Inspirational, Journey, Life's journey, Living Life, Personal Growth, Trials and testings, Trust in God | 1 Comment