Happy New Year!
You know how the store was open last Thursday/Friday instead of our normal Friday/Saturday due to New Year's Eve? Well, ever since I've been having a heck of a time remembering what day it is - so this morning as I headed to work, I never even thought to take photos of some wonderful Jubilee Furniture furniture in my own home in case no one emailed me their photos and - surprise - no one emailed me! So not only am I a loser, but a loser no one loves! How pathetic is that?!
And then I had a thought. I can inspire you with something OTHER than photos and that's a story I found especially impactful during a time in my life when things were really hard.
The Drowning Man (by anonymous)
A man was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help. Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, “Jump in, I can save you.” The stranded man shouted back, “No, it’s OK, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me.” So the rowboat went on. Then a motorboat came by. The fellow in the motorboat shouted, “Jump in, I can save you.” To this the stranded man said, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.” So the motorboat went on. Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, “Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety.” To this the stranded man again replied, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.” So the helicopter reluctantly flew away.
Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. Once in heaven, he had an opportunity to discuss the whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, “I had faith in you but you didn’t save me, you let me drown. I don’t understand why!” To this God replied, “I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?”
The moral is, of course, God often uses others to minister His grace, compassion, healing and love - if - we allow them to help us (which is actually quite hard since it means letting others know about our pain and suffering and then being humble enough to accept their help...).
So, that - dear reader - is my inspiring story for you on this inspiration Tuesday! Typically, you would find marvelous photos from a wonderful customer of something they've purchased from Jubilee Furniture and how amazing it looks in their home (photos emailed to sgalbraith@outreachcommin.org). Maybe next Tuesday?
Take care!
