A Beautiful Day - It's Spring Time

It's March!! - if you are in Europe, it is the start of Spring season when daffodils are blooming like mushroom in the open field, creamy, yellowish you name it. It is also the holy month of Lent - if you are Christian, and Ash Wednesday if you are celebrating Good Friday and Easter.

Nearer at home in Sabah and in most Asia countries it is the start of the new growth of young paddy aka rice which will take a couple of month to mature before harvesting in May. I will be spending my first weekend of March in Matunggung, Kudat on an invitation by a dear friend of mine to taste and savour a local delicacy of pounding young paddy grain mix with young coconut milk to mark the start of paddy growing into maturity. I will be writing on this special occasion in my upcoming post.

In the mean time, what a better day than to share with you a story entitled A Beautiful Day, an email I received yesterday (28 February 2006) from a friend in KL. It is also a Food for Thought.

A Beautiful Day
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agree that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife.

The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land.

On the other side of the island, there was nothing. Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, and more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. Heconsidered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered. As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."

"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us. This is too good not to share. With obedience come blessings. My prayer for you today is that all your prayers are answered. Be blessed.

"What you do for others is more important than what you do for yourself"

A good friend shared this with me, please share this with your friend.

Have a great day!