“Difficulties in our lives give us the opportunity to experience the faithfulness of God…” ~ GodFruits

Haloes! J

“Difficulties in our lives give us the opportunity to experience the faithfulness of God…” ~ GodFruits

Deuteronomy 31:8

“The Lord goes before you and will be with you…”

Romans 8:28

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose…”

“You can be happy in all circumstances, you simply need to believe in God…” Nick Vujicic

“A positive mind towards everything will give you a happier life…” ~ Unknown

Ekt vandag ‘n storie om met julle te deel…  Dis een van daardie stories waarmee elkeen van ons kan assosieer…  ENJOY! 

There was an old farmer whose donkey fell into an empty well. The farmer was old and the donkey was too. The farmer knew he didn’t have enough strength to pull the donkey out of the deep hole. So he reasoned to himself, “This donkey is old. I am too. I can’t get him out of this mess. It is better for the donkey and for me if I just bury him here in this hole. He’s had a good life and served me well, but I can’t do anything with him now. It is better to bury him and put him out of his misery.”  So the farmer grabbed a shovel and started throwing in dirt.  The dirt felt like raindrops on the donkey’s face, only it was messy and it hurt a little. He wondered what was going on. He was already bumped and bruised from the fall. His body ached and he felt tired. Everything around him looked dark. He couldn’t make sense of what was happening to him. He felt scared and alone. “What more could go wrong?” the donkey thought to himself. That’s when the second pile of dirt hit him. It seemed to come out of nowhere — and this time it hurt. “Why is this happening to me?” the donkey groaned. He was angry and confused.

The farmer could hear the donkey’s cries from below. The donkey cried louder and louder with each pile of dirt he threw. And then the cries stopped. The farmer felt relieved. He didn’t want the donkey to suffer and was glad he was no longer in pain. “This is for the best,” the farmer reasoned. He continued to fill up the hole.  The donkey stopped groaning for a moment. “All this complaining isn’t getting me anywhere,” the donkey reasoned. “I’m still in this mess and it is only getting worse. I need to do something different so that I can get out.” So the donkey thought, “I can’t do anything about the dirt being thrown at me, but I can change my attitude. I don’t have to let others put me down — or steal my hope. I do have a choice.” The donkey decided to shake off the dirt and not let it affect him. Something amazing happened. When he shook off the dirt, it no longer affected him the same way. The dirt fell down around him. He used the dirt to STEP UP and GET UP on top of it. In that moment, the donkey made Three Critical Choices.

1. He chose to STOP letting others influence him and took back control of his life. 2.He chose to SHAKE OFF any hurt feelings — negativity, discouragement or feeling overwhelmed — that kept him from moving ahead.  3. He chose to STEP UP to the challenge, confront what was happening, and push past the obstacles facing him.

STOP. SHAKE OFF. STEP UP. He did it over and over again. With every step he got stronger and more determined. The more dirt he shook off, the better he got at not letting it affect him. The struggle built his confidence. “I can do this,” the donkey thought. “I can do this as long as I don’t give up.” The farmer couldn’t believe his eyes. Instead of being dead, the donkey was very much alive. With every pile of dirt he was getting closer and closer to the surface. The farmer mistook his silence as a sign he had given up. The farmer had underestimated the donkey. If the donkey had just stood there and done nothing, he would have surely died. The donkey refused to let a negative circumstance determine his outlook on life. He did not allow his feelings to influence his mood or steal his joy. He walked out of that hole one step at a time. The very thing that hurt him actually helped him get free. By not giving up, the donkey overcame a hopeless situation. The donkey left the struggle stronger and more confident, with a hopeful attitude toward the future and a different perspective on pain…

Hoe dikwels word ons nie met “gemors” gegooi nie?  Mense wat jou gebruik of onder ‘n bus probeer ingooi, vriende wat jou in die rug steek? Verhoudings wat verbrokkel, finansies wat beroerd gaan?  En vir elke uitdaging wat oor ons pad kom, moet ons probeer staande bly…  Ek dink dit sal baie maklik wees om te gaan lê, en toe te laat dat die slegte dinge ons “begrawe” as gevolg van die feit dat dit ons totaal en al oorweldig is…  Hierdie donkie is vir ons ‘n ONGELOOFLIKE voorbeeld…  Stop, Skud dit af, en trap dit vas (of "step-up")… Wanneer die uitdaging groot is, kan ons verseker wees dat die deurbraak NOG groter is… God se genade en getrouheid is iets waarvan ons kan seker wees…  Dis iets wat ons NOOIT sal verlaat nie en wat ons nooit in die steek sal laat nie… God se genade is elke more nuut! Wanneer dit vir jou voel of dinge besig is om die “beter” van jou te kry – BID…  Daar is geen las so groot wat nie ligter word wanneer ons daarmee neerkniel nie…  God sal SORG dat reg en geregtigheid geskied in jou lewe geskied en dat die moeilikheid wat jy dalk tans moet face – vir jou karakter bou en jou sal shape om die oorwinnaar en te word, en testimony te wees wat Hy jou bestem het om te wees…  Al wat jy moet doen, is om Hom te vertrou en Hom in beheer van jou lewe te plaas…  Hy het jou “back”!

Blessings!

Anel xx