Need for growth

How often does a man ruin his disciples by remaining with them.When men are trained, it is essential that their leader leave them, for without his absence they cannot develop themselves.
After all, Plants always remain small under a big tree!

Never react too soon

Looking back in our lives we may realise that on various occasions we have judged the other person wrongly and all because we never heard the complete story. Let me share with you a true story of a couple. A woman wanted to reach her husband on his mobile phone,she instructed her son to call his daddy and pass across an urgent message to him, who was on site. After the boy had called, he got back to mummy to inform her that there was a lady that picked up daddy’s phone the three times he tried reaching dad on the mobile. Without further questioning her son,she waited impatiently for her husband to return from work and upon seeing him in the driveway, she rushed out and let him have it.People from the neighborhood rushed around to find out what the cause of the commotion was. The woman then asked the boy to tell everybody what the lady at the other end said to him when he called.The boy honestly replied “The subscriber you have dialed is not available at present. Please Try Again Later” Isn't it true that we tend to be impatient and fail to listen to the complete version of the event of another person? we tend to react hastily. In the process we hurt others and at times a good relationship goes sour.Surely it would help us always to listen to others first and then if need be to give a reply appropriately.

Don't let that be you!

Are you living every day filled with hope and expectancy? Are you living life to the fullest? So many people today have simply lost their enthusiasm for life. At one time, they were excited about their future. They were pursuing their dream, but along the way, they hit some roadblocks. Things didn't work out, and now they're just going through the motions of life. They quit dreaming. They quit pursuing their goals. They lost their purpose. Don't let that be you! Make the choice to stay alive your whole life by keeping your dreams in front of you. Remember, you have a purpose. You have a destiny. You didn't just accidentally show up on planet Earth. God has created you to make a difference—to impact our society—to make this world a better place. On the inside of you right now, there are dreams and desires put there by the Creator of the universe. Don't let the pressures of life push those dreams down. Stir up those dreams. Stir up those gifts. Shake off every disappointment and press forward. This is a new day. Get a new vision. Make up your mind that no matter what comes your way, you're going to keep pressing forward. You're going to keep growing. You're going to keep learning. You're going to stay active. If you will stay passionate about life, knowing what your purpose is and being your best every day, God will pour out His blessings and favor on you, and you will live the life of victory He has in store!

One Person at a time

I like the story of the "star thrower", about a man walking on a beach after a storm, throwing starfish into the ocean so they wouldn't die on the shore. Someone criticizes him for wasting his time, noting that there are millions of starfish dying,and that the few he saves wouldn't make much difference. The man silently bends over, throws another starfish into the surf and replies, "It made a difference for that one." We all know that, if we look around us,There is so much to do and yet say to ourselves, is it worth it to do something? what difference will my efforts make to such a massive problem of poverty or illiteracy or even unemployment? Just like it made a difference to the "starfish" which was thrown back into the sea, it will make a world of difference to the world around us, if we only do our bit of duty and not looked at the masses who are not doing it at all.One person at a time is all we need, to save this world.

Do we trust God

A man was being chased by a tiger. He ran as hard as he could until he was at the edge of a cliff with the tiger in hot pursuit. The man looked over the edge of the cliff and saw a branch growing out of the side of the cliff a few feet down. He jumped down and grabbed the branch just as the tiger reached the cliff. The tiger growled viciously as the man sighed a great sigh of relief. Just then a mouse came out from a crevice and began to chew on the branch. The man looked down to what was a drop of a thousand feet and sure death and looked to the heavens and yelled out, “Dear God, if you are there, please help. I will do anything you ask but please help.” Suddenly a voice came booming down from heaven, “You will do anything I ask?” it questioned. The man shocked to hear a reply to his plea yelled back, “I will gladly do anything you ask, but please save me.” The voice from heaven then replied, “There is one way to save you but it will take courage and faith.” The branch began to weaken from the mouse and the tiger was still growling a few feet above the man, “Please, Lord, tell me what I must do and I will do it. Your will is my will.” The voice from heaven then said, “All right then, let go of the branch.” The man looked down to a fall of a thousand feet and certain death. He looked up at the hungry tiger a few feet away and he looked at the mouse still chewing on the branch. Then he looked up at the heavens and yelled, “Is there anyone else up there?”

Making Ourselves Secured

As part of growing up,we have each received conditioning that unconsciously influences our beliefs and our behavior. Our parents conditioned us as they were conditioned. our culture conditioned us through schools,teachers,religious and social organizations and work. As we acquire discipline, good manners, taste and a sense of order, our culture passes on its traditions. We may be proud of our punctuality, neatness, diligence, friendliness, creativity and so forth. We may believe these traits are important and even vital. Through the process of reward and punishment we develop behaviors which society considers appropriate and learn to avoid the inappropriate ones. Over time, we have managed to internalize our conditioning and now we function almost automatically. We have organized our world and learned how to remain secure. Security is very important to us. It is connected to our survival and so when we are faced with the truth that threatens our security, we quickly find ways of compromising it.

Set Boundaries to Your Love

When people show you their boundaries ( 'I can't do this for you'), you feel rejected. You cannot accept the fact that others are unable to do for you all that you accept from them. You desire boundless love, boundless care, boundless giving. Part of your struggle is to set boundaries to your own love - something you have never done. You give whatever people ask of you and when they ask for more, you give more, until you find yourself exhausted, used and manipulated. Only when you are able to set your own boundaries will you be able to acknowledge, respect and even be grateful for the boundaries of others. In the presence of the people you love, your needs grow and grow, until those people are so overwhelmed by your needs that they are practically forced to leave for their own survival. The great task is to claim yourself for yourself, so that you can contain your needs within the boundaries of your self and hold them in the prescence of those you love. True mutuality in love requires people who possess themselves and who can give to each other while holding on to their own identities. So,in order both to give more effectively and to be more self-contained with your needs, you must learn to set boundaries to your love.