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Rosemead Kiwanis Club "Serving the Community Since 1945" |
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FAX OF LIFE
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The Fax of Life
A weekly inspiration, courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of Scott's Valley
(distributed free by the Kiwanis Club of Rosemead, CA - rosemeadkiwanis.org)
"I Wanted to Quit"
One day I decided to quit
. . . I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality . . . I wanted
to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
"God," I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"
His answer surprised me . . .
"Look around," He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"
"Yes," I replied.
"When I planted the fern and the
bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave
them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green
covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not
quit on the bamboo.
"In the second year the Fern
grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo
seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
"In the third year, there was
still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth
year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit.
"Then in the fifth year a tiny
sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly
small and insignificant. But just six months later the bamboo rose to
more than 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots.
Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I
would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."
He said to me. "Did you know, my
child, that all this time you have been struggling, you like the bamboo
have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will
never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others.
"The bamboo had a different
purpose than the fern, yet, they both make the forest beautiful. Your
time will come, you will rise high!"
"How high shall I rise?" I
asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise?"
He asked in return.
"As high as it can?" I
questioned.
"Yes." He said, "Give me glory
by rising as high as you can."
I left the forest and brought
back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never
give up on you....Never regret a day in your life.
Happiness keeps you sweet,
Trials keep you strong,
Sorrows keep you human,
Failures keep you humble,
Success keeps you glowing,
But only God keeps you going!
Contributed by Keith Murphy
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. All of its Clubs are community service clubs.
The Kiwanis Club of Scott's Valley normally meets at the Heavenly Café in Scott's Valley on Wednesdays at 7 am - see the Scott's Valley Kiwanis website @ http://svkiwanis.org; The Kiwanis Club of Rosemead normally meets on Thursdays at 12:10 - see the Rosemead Kiwanis website @ rosemeadkiwanis.org for confirmation and directions. Visitors are welcome to join mweetings of either club anytime.
There is no charge to anyone for receiving the "Fax;" however. if you have been encouraged in any way by the message, pass it on by saying something encouraging to someone else during the week.
Neither the Scott's Valley or Rosemead Kiwanis Clubs make any representations as to the accuracy of quotes or actions attributed to named individuals; material selected for the Fax of Life comes from a variety of sources and is chosen based solely on its presumed inspirational value to readers.