THE GIFT

THE GIFT

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. >

I Love Rubber Bands

I Love Rubber Bands

Let me tell you a crazy story I heard recently.There' s this husband who out
of sheer love for his wife decided to prove it to her. So he swam the widest
oceans, crossed the deepest rivers, and climbed the highest mountains to
show his deep devotion to her. But in the end, she divorced him.

Why? Because he was never home.(Get it?)

Let me tell you an experience I had as a kid. One day, I asked Mom, "Why do
my shoes keep eating my socks?" As a young boy, that was always a mystery
for me. All my other classmates never had that problem. Their socks remained
tight and high up their legs the entire day.

Mom didn't answer my question but simply gave me two rubber bands which I
dutifully placed around the top of my socks. To this day, fifteen years
later, I still have permanent circle marks around my legs. But aside from
giving me this slight defect, the two bands worked like magic.

It never occurred to me that Dad and Mom didn't have the money to buy a new
pair of socks for me. So I wore five-year-old socks, all soggy, grayish, and
garter less. And yet amazingly, I never complained. I believe it was because
Dad was always home when I needed him. Every night, after coming from work,
we'd jog together, sit around, and talk about Tarzan, Farrah Fawcett
Majors,God, and what I wanted to be when I grew up (a
stockholder) . On Saturdays, we'd walk to Cubao, eat a hotdog-on-a-
stick,and buy new rubber bands before going home.

I've learned that in truth, we don't want our loved ones to show their love
for us in big ways. Swimming the widest oceans,crossing the deepest rivers,
and climbing the highest mountains seem spectacular - but that's not what we
really want. Deep in our hearts, we just want them home. With us.

Sometimes, God will operate that way. Suddenly, He decides not to answer our
prayers, or fill our need, or heal our sickness, or give us the miracle
we're asking for. (He's got reasons why He won't, and believe me - they're
pretty good ones.) So He'll just be there beside you, holding you in a hug.
Sharing your pain. Weeping as you weep. Oh, He might give you some rubber
bands. And that small comfort from Him will be more than enough to sustain
you. Because the most essential truth you already know.

...home.