I recently read a story that inspired me. Today I want to share it with you.
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same
hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour
each afternoon to receive his daily medical treatment. His bed was
next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his
time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on
end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their
jobs, their involvement in the military service, and where they had been on
vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the
window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all
the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed
began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and
enlivened by the description of activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a beautiful
lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed
their model boats. Young lovers held hands and walked amidst flowers
of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape,
and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the
distance. As the man described his view from the window in exquisite
detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine
the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window
described a parade passing through the park. Although the other man
could not hear the band, he could see the parade in his mind's eye, as the
gentleman by the window developed a detailed picture with his descriptive
words.
One morning, the nurse arrived to bring water for
their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had
died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the
hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man
asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the
switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him
alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take
his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of
seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the
window beside the bed. To his surprise the window faced a brick
wall.
The man called for the nurse and asked what could
have compelled his deceased roommate to describe such wonderful things outside
this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not
even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to
encourage you."
The moral of the story is there is tremendous joy
in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is
half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want
to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money cannot
buy. Today is a gift, that is why it is called the present.
Isn’t this story amazing? How
are your circumstances looking today? Do
the things that are negative in the world blind you? Are you looking at a blank wall and only
seeing a blank wall? Are you living for
the present or are you going back into the past or worrying about the
future?
Today let the Holy Spirit indwell in your soul. When the Holy Spirit resides in you the fruit
of the spirit joy will be evident. Joy
is the natural work of God. As the Holy
Spirit works in us we begin to bear more fruit.
We become confident in the works of God.
We are able to rejoice no matter the circumstance. Whether we are blind or we can see joy
radiates off of us to others. We can
feel the presence of the Lord everyday in our walk of faith.
When filled with the Holy Spirit we can’t help but be filled with
joy. We are happy and we make others
happy even if we are staring at a brick wall.
Romans 14:17 NIV
For the
kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness,
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
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