A gift...take time to reflect!

@sharie16 (2212)
Philippines
November 1, 2008 5:22am CST
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible? and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse: Matt 7:11, "And if ye, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?" As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... PAID IN FULL. How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? I trust you enjoyed this. Pass it on to others. Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for... IF YOUR GIFT IS NOT PACKED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT'S BECAUSE IT IS BETTER PACKED THAT WAY! ALWAYS APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS; THEY USUALLY LEAD YOU TO ATTACHMENTS!
4 people like this
6 responses
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
3 Nov 08
The story is nice.. IT's true about our character and our impatience in life ^_^ PLus, we are too pampered in life that we take everything for granted.. ANd we expect to receive what we want as long as we work hard, and we only believe in what we see.. BUt that's a very wrong thinking.. There are many ple in life whom had worked very hard but they din succeed, and when all others were to believe in what they see, they will never succeed in life.. All good things are meant to be discovered and in his case, this young man dun even have the patience and can only regret when his father had passed away.. SO even though he finally got the thing he wanted, but it's at the expenses of jis father's life.. It's not worth it at all..
@sharie16 (2212)
• Philippines
12 Nov 08
yes...we should not be greedy and take everything for granted...we should always know how to forgive and forget while it's not too late...it's sad to know that at the end, when everything was gone, that's the time we regret...we should not always account on material things, nut rather be contented on what we have...thus what we expect is more than what material things can give... thanks for sharing your thought and for reading! have a nice day! God bless!
3 people like this
@quinnkl (1667)
• United States
2 Nov 08
What a wonderful story. It speaks to the greed and selfishness in the world today. And how much the young expect and how angry they are when they do not receive it for whatever reason! We can all, and I hope we all do, learn much from this. Thank you.
2 people like this
@sharie16 (2212)
• Philippines
12 Nov 08
yes...this is very much similar nowadays..somehow, reading stories would make us see the reality... thanks for having the time to read it! have a nice day! God bless!
2 people like this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
1 Nov 08
This is a very beautiful story sharie and contains a wonderful message. We have all been guilty of missing the forest for the trees and overlooking the ture essence of something after being blinded by greed or materialistic desires. To use another quote: Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; TEACH a man to fish and he shall eat for a lifetime! Material gains are fleeting yet the combination of shared knowledge and wisdom will hold us in good stead always. The gaining of something tangible without some lesson, subliminal or otherwise; causes the material item to lose its lustre very quickly. A gift can warm the heart on many levels beyond its immediate presence, yet we must firstly open our eyes and our hearts to see it for what it is; and sometimes we must also embrace a journey to truly appreciate it for what it is as well.
1 person likes this
@sharie16 (2212)
• Philippines
2 Nov 08
Indeed...thanks for the nice thought! Hope we should all do that! To first open our eyes and our hearts... Thanks for taking time to read! Have a nice day! God bless!
3 people like this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
8 Dec 08
Thank you for the best response tag! Hopefully the discussion will now be bumped up a little and more people will have the chance to read this wonderful story!
2 people like this
• Philippines
9 Dec 08
Ohhh it's really a wonderful story. It would struck your heart. Especially with persons like me who's always asking for something and often time being blinded by the bountiful blessings God has bestowed on me.
@sweety_81 (2124)
• India
9 Dec 08
Hi Friend, This is such a touching story . Many a times in our life ; we face some problems . At those times;we immediately start cursing our Fate . We also complain to god . We forget that there is a silver lining behind every dark cloud.We should not become impatient and instead thank god for what we have got . We should have the courage to face the situation and not complain about anything or about anyone . Regards -Sweety_81
@missybear (11391)
• United States
1 Nov 08
That is so true, i really liked the story and passed it on to my friends.
2 people like this
@sharie16 (2212)
• Philippines
2 Nov 08
Thanks for having time to read! And for passing it to your friends...It's really great to share and somehow giving them a nice story to reflect on their lives... Have a nice day! God bless!
1 person likes this