Rise above storm

Author unknown. Received in social media. If you are author of this, please contact.

I just had to share this because I really liked this analogy:

If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner.

The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet.

Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small space with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place.

If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A Bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom.

It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, we are a lot like the buzzard, the bat and the bee.

We are struggling about with all our problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above us.

Rise above the problem for the solution.

This too shall pass.

Rise above the storm, find the sunshine and stay blessed forever.

My thoughts:At a time when the whole world is going through this crisis of Corona virus, let's find a silver lining in the dark clouds and discover the sun that shines brightly over there.

Rise & Fall

“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” Paulo Coelho

Life has a way of giving us jolts that push us down. Just when we get up and feel that its all over, it knocks us again. But the silver lining in this is that every time we get up and reminisce, we find it hard to recollect how we could pull it off. Those are the moments that remind us about the super Power that exists.

One Night a man had a dream. He dreamt he was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you you'd walk with me all the way, but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."

The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

When we surrender all our troubled times that we had no power to handle to the Lord, our life takes a twist around.

Even though the question “why me?” arises every time, only meaningful answer to this question is that He would take care whatever be it. One just needs that faith. 

First secret of success--Believe in yourself

– by Steve Goodier, www.lifesupportsystem.com

Adam was ready to retire. His wife Anna, however, was less enthusiastic.

As she explained to a friend, "Adam has never done anything that required physical exertion. He never played golf, mowed the lawn or even washed the windows. When he retires, he will sit in his easy chair and expect me to bring him his food."

But to Anna's surprise, soon after her husband retired, he joined a health club. And one night, when Adam arrived home from exercise class, he announced, "I signed up for the wrestling tournament. I am going to wrestle Friday night."

Anna was shocked. "Please don't do it, Adam," she begged. "You're not in shape. You will be so beat up they will have to carry you home!"

However, he couldn't be dissuaded and she told him that if he went through with his "lame idea," she was not going to watch.

True to her word, she stayed away that Friday evening as Adam wrestled.

And just as she predicted, two men practically carried Adam home. He lay down on the couch, every muscle strained and bruised.

Before she could speak, he sputtered, "Don't say a word, Anna! This is not the worst of it. I won tonight. I have to wrestle again tomorrow night!"

As Dr. Norman Vincent Peale said, "People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."

Mountain moving Faith

Unknown Author

A small congregation built a new church on a piece of land willed to them by a church member.

Ten days before the new church was to open, the local building inspector informed the pastor that the parking lot was inadequate for the size of the building. Until the church doubled the size of the parking lot, they would not be able to use the new church.

Unfortunately, the church had used every inch of their land except for the mountain against which it had been built. In order to build more parking spaces, they would have to move the mountain out of the back yard.

Undaunted, the pastor announced the next Sunday morning that he would meet that evening with all members who had "mountain moving faith." They would hold a prayer session asking God to remove the mountain from the back yard and to somehow provide enough money to have it paved and painted before the scheduled opening dedication service the following week.

At the appointed time, 24 of the congregation's 300 members assembled for prayer. They prayed for nearly three hours. At ten o'clock the pastor said the final "Amen."

"We'll open next Sunday as scheduled," he assured everyone. "God has never let us down before, and I believe He will be faithful this time too."

The next morning as he was working in his study there came a loud knock at his door. When he called "come in," a rough looking construction foreman appeared, removing his hard hat as he entered.

"Excuse me, Reverend. I'm from a Construction Company in the next county. We're building a huge new shopping mall over there and we need some fill dirt. Would you be willing to sell us a chunk of that mountain behind the church? We'll pay you for the dirt we remove and pave all the exposed area free of charge, if we can have it right away. We can't do anything else until we get the dirt in and allow it to settle properly."

The little church was dedicated the next Sunday as originally planned and there were far more members with "mountain moving faith" on opening Sunday than there had been the previous week!

Faith is not believing that God can, its believing that He WILL.
Does ‘Faith comes from miracles’ or ‘Miracles come from faith’?

Discovering a new way of life

In the mid 1970s, when he was about to complete his doctorate in physics, the scientist Stephen Hawking - who was already carrying the disease that would gradually paralyse all his movements - heard a doctor say of him that he had only two more years to live.

‘Right then,' he thought to himself. 'now that I don't need to worry about things like pensions or paying the bills, I can concentrate on trying to understand the Universe.'

Since the disease was progressing rapidly, he was forced to come up with ways of explaining his ideas as simply and as briefly as possible.

Two and a half years went by, twenty years went by, and Hawking is still alive.
He can communicate his highly abstract ideas through a tiny computer hooked up to his wheelchair and which has a vocabulary of only 500 words. He wrote his classic "A Brief History of Time" and was responsible for creating an entirely new vision of modern physics.

Rather than leading him into a life of complete disability, the illness forced him to discover a new way of thinking.

Hawking has achieved success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general; his "A Brief History of Time" stayed on the British Sunday Times best-sellers list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Hawking has a motor neuron disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition that has progressed over the years. He is almost entirely paralysed and communicates through a speech generating device.

Achieving a dream

By unknown

Two grains were lying side by side on the fertile soil. The first grain said: “I want to grow up ! I want to put down roots deep into the ground and sprout from the ground. I dream to blossom in delicate buds and proclaim the coming of spring. I want to feel the warm rays of sun and the dew drops on my petals!”.

This grain grew up and became a beautiful flower.

The second grain said: “I’m afraid. If I will put down my roots into the ground, I don’t know what they will face there. If I will grow tender stems, they can be damaged by wind. And if there will be flowers , they may be disrupted . So I’d rather wait for the safer time.

The second grain was waiting, while the chicken that passed by pecked it.

Taking the first step is perhaps the most difficult thing to do in achieving a dream. But that first small step makes a huge difference. Sure enough no dream is easy to achieve, but not impossible. Having firm belief in one’s own self melts the obstacles away.

Believe in yourself

Once, a person decided to realize his dream. Only he didn’t have enough strength to do it.

Then he turned to his mother: “Mother, help me!”

“Darling, I would be glad to help you, only I don’t have it. And everything I have, I’ve already given you…”

He asked a wise man: “Master, tell me, where I can get strength?”

“It is said that, it is on the Everest. Only I couldn’t find anything there, except the snowy winds. And when I came back, the time was irretrievably lost…”

He asked the hermit: “Holy Father, where to find strength for realizing my dream?”

“In your prayers, my son. And if your dream is false, you will understand it and find peace in your prayers…”

The more people he asked, the results of his search were only more confusion.

Looking at the confused man, an old man passing by asked, “Why are you so confused?”

“Yes, I have a dream, good man. But I don’t know where to find strength for realizing it. I asked everyone already- from Everest to hell. But there was no one who could help me.”

“Not everyone,” a light flashed in an old man’s eyes, “did you ask yourself that?”

Do you trust your dream? Trusting it means 100% trusting in yourself. No doubting because of what others may say or think. No second-guessing yourself. You know more than you think you do. If you don't fully trust yourself, who else will?

The Tea-cup

Found at http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/1692/the-tea-cup/#ixzz20kxOcdOY

There was a couple who used to go England to shop in the beautiful store. This was their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially tea-cups. They said,”May we see that? We’ve never seen one quite so beautiful.”

As the lady handed it to them,suddenly the tea-cup spoke, “You don’t understand.” It said, “I have not always been a tea-cup.There was a time when I was red clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, “Let me alone,” but he only smiled, “Not yet!!”

“Then I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. ‘Stop it !! I’m getting dizzy!’ I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, ‘Not yet.’

Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook hid head, ‘Not yet’.

“Finally, the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. ‘Stop it, Stop it!!’ I cried. He only nodded, ‘Not yet!’.

Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf.

An hour later he handed me a mirror and said ‘Look at yourself.’ And I did. I said, ‘That’s not me; that couldn’t be me. It’s beautiful. I’m beautiful.’

“I want you to remember, then,’ he said, ‘I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I just had left you alone, you’d have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurts and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn’t done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any colour in your life, and if I hadn’t put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t survive for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.” God knows what He’s doing [ for all of us ]. He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mould us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Hope, Faith, Peace & Love

Author Unknown

In a room there were four candles burning. The ambiance was so soft you could hear them talking.

The first one said, “I am PEACE, however nobody can keep me lit. I believe I will go out.” It’s flame rapidly diminishes and goes out completely.

The second one says, “I am FAITH. Most of all I am no longer indispensable, so it does not make any sense that I stay lit any longer.” When it finished talking a breeze softly blew on it putting it out.

Sadly, the third candle spoke in its turn. “I am LOVE. I have not gotten the strength to stay lit. People put me aside and don’t understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them.” And waiting no longer it goes out.

Suddenly a child entered the room and saw three candles not burning. “Why are you not burning you are supposed to stay lit till the end.” Saying this the child began to cry.

Then the fourth candle said, “Don’t be afraid, while I am still burning we can re-light the other candles, I am HOPE.”

With shining eyes, the child took the candle of Hope and lit the other candles.

The flame of Hope should never go out from our life and that each of us can maintain HOPE, FAITH, PEACE and LOVE.

Trust or Faith?

Trust and Faith are ‘seemingly’ similar concepts because of their similar usage. These two concepts go hand in hand because the common ground for both is--‘believing in something’. But they are separated by a very thin line. In a broader perspective, ‘faith’ is an allegiance or loyalty to a person or being; while ‘trust’ is placing a complete confidence, extreme faith on that person or being.

‘Faith’ can be believed to be more commonly used in spiritual concepts while ‘trust’ is used normally in worldly concepts. When we go through any turbulent phase in life, we pray to God having some kind of ‘faith’ in Him. When we lend money / any article to a friend we ‘trust’ that they would return it in due time. So, ‘faith’ is a belief that is not based on proof while trust is a reliance on integrity, strength, etc; a strong confidence.

Many times we misuse the word ‘trust’ for ‘faith’. For example, while going through tough times, many of us proudly say “I trust God; I have surrendered to Him; etc……” But continue to worry about the situation. Why? Because in reality, we have ‘faith’ but we don’t ‘trust’ that the situation will be resolved.

A story is told about a mountain climber. During a climbing trip, he put on his climbing gear and headed toward the summit. As he started his climb, there was a full moon to help him see where he was going. As he neared the summit, unfortunately, thick clouds were starting to build around the mountain as a winter storm developed. In just a few minutes heavy clouds and fog surrounded him.

He quickly started to come down hoping the storm would stop soon. On his way back, while moving along a narrow traverse, now in total darkness, he got into some rock, and slid down the edge of a cliff. He now found himself dangling in the air, suspended from his rope, unable to see anything around him. In desperation he cried out, “Oh dear God in Heaven, please help me!”

Suddenly, from above he heard a strong deep voice boom out, “Cut the rope!”

“What?!”

As the climber listened over the wind, once again he heard a deep voice say, “Cut the rope!”

Unable to see his true situation the climber concluded that hanging onto the rope was a better option. And he continued to hang onto the rope, while hoping to be able to grab onto something that would enable him to climb to safety.

The following day, the rest of his climbing party discovered him frozen to death, still dangling from his rope -- only eight feet above the ground!

Had he ‘trusted’ the voice and cut the rope, he would have been saved. His faith in God made him call out to Him, but he lacked trust to listen to the voice.

So ‘trust’ is ‘faith’ in action! It is the manifestation of our faith in our thoughts and actions. While faith says, "It ‘can’ happen..." trust says "It ‘will’ happen!"

Importance of daily prayer

After an exhausting morning session of prayer in the monastery, the novice asked the Head Monk: 'Do all these prayers that you teach us make God move closer to us?'

'I'm going to reply with another question,' said the Master.

'Will all the prayers you say make the sun rise tomorrow?'

'Of course not! The sun rises in obedience to a universal law regardless of how much I pray.'

'Well, there's the answer to your question. God is close to us regardless of how much we pray.'

The novice was shocked.

'Does that mean we need not pray? Are our prayers useless?'

'Absolutely not. If you don't wake up early enough, you will never get to see the sunrise. And although God is always close, if you don't pray, you will never manage to feel His presence.'

Just as physical exercise is necessary for a healthy body, daily prayer is necessary for a healthy soul. Prayer nourishes, conditions and revitalizes the soul for its optimum efficiency. Daily prayers develop a healthy relationship with God thus making us lead a spiritually fulfilling life. Prayer is very powerful and its effects can cause everlasting life changes. Prayer calms down our hearts and clears our vision. The chaos subsides and life seems to settle down around us as we pray.

Everyone must have faith in himself

Chinna katha  by Sathya Sai Baba

There was once a guru communicating wisdom to people who came with flowers and fruits as offerings to him.

One day, as the offerings were plenty, he called a disciple and asked him to cut the fruits and arrange for its distribution as prasad. The disciple reported to the guru that all was ready for distribution and asked him who would be given first.

The guru asked him to start with the person in whom he has the greatest faith and the highest confidence.

All the people assembled there thought that the disciple would first give the fruit to the teacher and then distribute to the others. But the disciple did not do so. He took the first fruit himself. When the surprised onlookers asked for an explanation he said that since he had had the greatest confidence and affection for himself, he took the first fruit.

One who does not love himself, has no belief in himself and has no ambition to rise higher and higher.

Ten Principles to The Zen of Attraction

1. Promise Nothing
Just do what you most enjoy doing.
Hidden benefit: You will always over-deliver.

2. Offer Nothing
Just share what you have with those who express an interest in it.
Hidden benefit: Takes the pressure off of wanting other people to see you as valuable or important.

3. Expect Nothing
Just enjoy what you already have. It’s plenty.
Hidden benefit: You will realize how complete your life is already.

4. Need Nothing
Just build up your reserves and your needs will disappear.
Hidden benefit: You boundaries will be extended and filled with space.

5. Create Nothing
Just respond well to what comes to you.
Hidden benefit: Openness.

6. Hype Nothing
Just let quality sell by itself.
Hidden benefit: Trustability.

7. Plan Nothing
Just take the path of least resistance.
Hidden benefit: Achievement will become effortless.

8. Learn Nothing
Just let your body absorb it all on your behalf.
Hidden benefit: You will become more receptive to what you need to know in the moment.

9. Become No One
Just be more of yourself.
Hidden benefit: Authenticity.

10. Change Nothing
Just tell the truth and things will change by themselves.
Hidden benefit: Acceptance.

God is in everything

A Bengali Folktale

"Where is God?" asked the disciple.

"Everywhere, in everyone and everything," said his Guru.

Later, as the disciple was going home, he saw an elephant charging towards him.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way," shouted the elephant-driver. "He has gone mad!"

But the disciple thought: "God is everywhere. He is in the elephant and he is in me. Would God attack God? No, therefore the elephant will not attack me."

He stood where he was. The elephant picked him up in his trunk and flung him aside. Fortunately, he landed in a haystack and was not too badly hurt. But he was terribly shaken and confused.

When the Guru and the other disciples came to help him and take him home, he said, "You said God is in everything, but see what the elephant did to me!"

"It is true that God is in everything," said his Guru. "He is in the elephant, but he is also in the mahout who kept telling you to get out of the way. Why didn't you listen to him?"

Never lose your Faith in Him

Author Unknown

There was once a man who was ship-wrecked and stranded on an island. Every day he prayed asking God to send someone to rescue him, but to his disappointment, no one ever came.

Months passed and this man learned how to survive on the island. During this time, he accumulated things from the island and stored them in a hut that he constructed.

One day after hunting for food and returning back to his hut, much to his dismay he saw that his hut was on fire along with everything else he owned!

All of his possessions were going up in smoke! The only thing he had left were the clothes on his back. Initially he was in shock, and then he was consumed with anger and rage!

In his fury he threw a fist into the air and began cursing God and yelling, “God, how could you let this happen to me? I’ve been praying everyday for months about being rescued and no one has come, and now everything that I have is on fire! How could you do to this to me! Why did you let this happen?”

Later the man was on his hands and knees weeping heavily when he happened to look up and catch sight of a ship coming in his direction.

The man was rescued and as they were heading back to civilization the man asked the captain, “How were you able to find me?”

The captain responded, “We were voyaging across the ocean when we noticed on the horizon a column of smoke going up. We decided to go check it out and when we did, that’s when we found you!” 

My thoughts:

God has perfect timing. Never early, never late. You need to have a lot of patience and above all faith. But when you are answered you'll realize that its worth the wait. 

Become What You Want to Be

Author: Unknown

Let me tell you about a little girl who was born into a very poor family in a shack in the Backwoods of Tennessee. She was the 20th of 22 children, prematurely born and frail. Her survival was doubtful. When she was four years old she had double pneumonia and scarlet fever - a deadly combination that left her with a paralyzed and useless left leg. She had to wear an iron leg brace. Yet she was fortunate in having a mother who encouraged her.

Well, this mother told her little girl, who was very bright, that despite the brace and leg, she could do whatever she wanted to do with her life. She told her that all she needed to do was to have faith, persistence, courage and an indomitable spirit.

So at nine years of age, the little girl removed the leg brace, and she took the step the doctors told her she would never take normally. In four years, she developed a rhytmic stride, which was a medical wonder. Then this girl got the notion, the incredible notion, that she would like to be the world's greatest woman runner. Now, what could she mean - be a runner with a leg like that?

At age 13, she entered a race. She came in last - way, way last. She entered every race in high school, and in every race she came in last. Everyone begged her to quit! 

However, one day, she came in next to last. And then there came a day when she won a race. From then on, Wilma Rudolph won every race that she entered.

Wilma went to Tennessee State University, where she met a coach named Ed Temple. Coach Temple saw the indomitable spirit of the girl, that she was a believer and that she had great natural talent. He trained her so well that she went to the Olympic Games.

There she was pitted against the greatest woman runner of the day, a German girl named Jutta Heine. Nobody had ever beaten Jutta. But in the 100-meter dash, Wilma Rudolph won. She beat Jutta again in the 200-meters. Now Wilma had two Olimpic gold medals.

Finally came the 400-meter relay. It would be Wilma against Jutta once again. The first two runners on Wilma's team made perfect handoffs with the baton. But when the third runner handed the baton to Wilma, she was so excited she dropped it, and Wilma saw Jutta taking off down the track. It was impossible that anybody could catch this fleet and nimble girl. But Wilma did just that! 

Wilma Rudolph had earned three Olympic gold medals. 

God Loves you

Man : GOD, can I ask you a question?

GOD: Sure....

Man: Promise you won’t get mad....

GOD: I promise...

Man : Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?

GOD: What do you mean?

Man: Well, I woke up late....

GOD: Yes

Man: My car took forever to start....

GOD: Okay...
Man: At lunch they made my sandwich wrong. I had to wait...

GOD: Hummmmm.....

Man: On, the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call

GOD: All right....

Man: And on top of it all, when I got home - I just want to soak my feet in my new foot massager & relax. But, it wouldn’t work!!!! Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?

GOD: Let me see, the death Angel was at your bed this morning & I had to send one of my Angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that....

Man: (humbled): Oh!

GOD: I didn’t let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.

Man: (Ashamed) All right

GOD: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick & I didn’t want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn’t afford to miss work.
Man: (Embarrassed): Okay

GOD: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling you was going to give false witness about what you said on that call; I didn’t even let you talk to them so you would be covered.
Man: (Softly): I see GOD

GOD: Oh, and that foot massager, it had a shortage that was going to throw out all the power in your house tonight. I didn’t think you wanted to be in dark.

Man: I' m sorry GOD.

GOD: Don’t be sorry; just learn to trust me..... in all things, the good and the bad.
Man: I will trust you.

GOD: And don’t doubt that My plan for your day is always better than your plan.

Man: I won’t. And let me just tell you GOD, Thank you for everything today.

GOD: You're welcome, child. it was just another day being your God and I Love looking after my children.....
GOD LOVES YOU......

Complete Surrender

A husband and wife were traveling in a boat. There was a big cyclone and the boat started trembling....

Wife started shouting, "Do some thing, do something, we are going to die........"

Husband was very calm and quiet. The cyclone was becoming worse and worse and the wife started shouting more.

Husband immediately took a knife in the hand and held the knife close to his wife throat.

Wife said to the husband, "Honey, This is not the time to play, we need to rescue ourselves from this cyclone. Don't play now"

Husband said, "When I hold your knife against you..... you say don't play and this is not the time. You have a total faith that I am playing with you. When GOD does such an activity in our life why don't we have the full faith in him and take this one as his play.........?"

Immediately the wife responded, "But what if we die"

Husband said, "My dear, We will try to do whatever it takes to save our self but in spite of all these things if the will of My GOD is to attain eternity (DIE), I would be very happy to take it. Do a complete surrender of yourself to your LORD".

"Sometimes our plans in LIFE fail so that GOD can execute his plans and remember his plans are always right for us."

God does exist

Author Unknown

A group of fifteen soldiers led by their Major Sahib were on their way to the post in Himalayas where they would be deployed for next three months. Another batch, which will be relieved, would be waiting anxiously for their arrival so that they could fall back to safer confines of their parent unit. Some would proceed on leave and meet their families.

They were happy that they were to relieve a set of comrades who had done their job.

It was a treacherous climb and the journey was to last till the next evening. Cold winter with intermittent snowfall added to the torture.

'If only someone could offer a cup of tea,' the Major thought, knowing completely well that it was a futile wish.

They continued for another hour before they came across a dilapidated structure which looked like a small shop. It was locked.

It was 2 o'clock in the night and there was no house close to the shop where the owner could be located. In any case it was not advisable to knock any doors in the night for security reasons.

It was a stalemate. "No tea boys, bad luck" said the Major.

The Major told the men to take some rest since they had been walking for more than three hours now.

“Sir, this is a tea shop indeed and we can make tea. We will have to break the lock though,” said one soldier.

The officer was in doubt about the proposed action but a steaming cup of tea was not a bad idea. He thought for a while and permitted for the lock to be broken. The lock was broken.

They were in luck.

The place was a shop indeed and had everything required to preparing tea, and also a few packets of biscuits.

The tea was prepared and it brought great relief to all in the cold night. They were now ready for the long and treacherous walk ahead of them and started to get ready to move.

The officer was in thought. They had broken open the lock and prepared tea and consumed biscuits without the permission of the owner. The payment was due but there was no one in sight. But they are not a band of thieves. They are disciplined soldiers.

The Major didn't move out without doing what needed to be done. He took out a Rs. 1000/- note from his wallet and kept it on the counter, pressed under the sugar container, so that the owner sees it first thing when he arrives in the morning.

He was now relieved of the guilt and ordered the move.

Days, weeks and months passed.

And then one day, it was time to be replaced by another brave lot. Soon they were on their way back and stopped at the same shop, which was today open with the owner in place. He was an old man with very meager resources and was happy to see fifteen of them with the prospect of selling at least fifteen cups of tea that day.

All of them had their tea and spoke to the old man about his life and experiences in general, selling tea at such remote a location.

The poor, old man had many stories to tell all of them, replete with his faith in God.

"Kya Baba, yadi Allah hota to kyaa aap ke jaisa 'Allah kaa bandaa' is haal main hota, (If God exists, will His child like you be in this pitiable state) said one of them"; moved by his poverty and faith in God.

"Nahin Sahib, aise mat kaho, (No sir. Pl don’t say that) God actually exists. I got the proof a few months ago.

"I was going through very tough times because my only son had been severely beaten by the terrorists who wanted some information from him which he did not have. I had closed the shop early that day and had taken my son to the hospital. There were medicines to be purchased and I had no money. No one would give me a loan from fear of the terrorists. There was no hope, Sahib.

"And that day Sahib, I had prayed to Allah for help. And Sahib, Allah walked into my shop that day.

"When I returned to my shop that day and saw the lock broken, I thought someone had broken in and had taken away whatever little I had. But then I saw that 'Allah' had left Rs. 1000/- under the sugar pot. Sahib, I can't tell you what that money was worth that day.

Allah exists Sahib, He does.

"I know people are dying every day here but all of you will soon meet your near and dear ones, your children, and you must thank your God Sahib, he is watching all of us. He does exist. He walked in to my shop that day and broke open the lock to give me the money I desperately needed. I know He did it."

The faith in his eyes was unflinching. It was unnerving.

Fifteen sets of eyes looked at their officer and read the order in his eyes clear and unambiguous, 'Keep quiet.'

The officer got up and paid the bill and hugged the old man.

"Yes Baba, I know, God does exist - and yes the tea was wonderful."

Fifteen pairs of eyes did not miss the moisture building in the eyes of the Major, a rare sight.

And the real truth is that any one of us can be a God to somebody. 

The fruits of faith

A widow from a poor village in Bengal did not have enough money to pay for her son's bus fare, and so when the boy started going to school, he would have to walk through the forest all on his own. In order to reassure him, she said: 'Don't be afraid of the forest, my son. Ask your God Krishna to go with you. He will hear your prayer.'

The boy followed his mother's suggestion, and Krishna duly appeared and from then on accompanied him to school every day.

When it was his teacher's birthday, the boy asked his mother for some money in order to buy him a present.
'We haven't any money, son. Ask your brother Krishna to get you a present.'

The following day, the boy explained his problem to Krishna, who gave him a jug of milk.

The boy proudly handed the milk to the teacher, but the other boys' presents were far superior and the teacher didn't even notice his.

'Take that jug of milk to the kitchen,' said the teacher to an assistant.

The assistant did as he was told. However, when he tried to empty the jug, he found that it immediately filled up again of its own accord. He immediately informed the teacher, who was amazed and asked the boy:  'Where did you get that jug and how does it manage to stay full all the time?'

'Krishna, the God of the forest, gave it to me.'

The teacher, the students and the assistant all burst out laughing.

'There are no gods in the forest, that's pure superstition,' said the teacher. 'If he exists, let's all go and see him.'

The whole group set off. The boy started calling for Krishna, but he did not appear. The boy made one last desperate appeal.

'Brother Krishna, my teacher wants to see you. Please show yourself!'

At that moment, a voice emerged from the forest and echoed through the city and was heard by everyone.

'How can he possibly want to see me, my son? He doesn't even believe I exist!'