The Stone Cutter

Good Morning Everyone,

Have you ever been jealous of someone? Perhaps they had
more than you did, and you wished you had such possessions.
Perhaps it was a person who was successful and didn't seem
to make many mistakes in their career. It could even have
been someone who was prettier, or more intelligent, or even
had a better car.

Here you sit watching them with envy thinking how lucky they
are and how unfortunate you are.

Basically what you have done is shown a great deal of unthankfulness
for WHAT YOU DO HAVE.

It is something we are all guilty of from time to time.

My guess is if you walked in that person's shoes for a week,
you would beg for your own life back. For everyone has hard times,
everyone wishes they had something else, and everyone is flawed and
subject to failure. All of us will go through hard times, illness
and tragedy. This is just life. It is not what we don't have that counts.
It is what we do with what we have that counts. What you hold within
your grasp and reach today, you can make shine or you can complain about.

How do you want to be remembered?

Make a success of whatever you are given to do, or whatever your life
is about today. It is all that you have control over. Never be jealous
of what someone else has, they have their own burdens to bear you cannot
understand, just as they do not fully understand you.

Rejoice for the new day you have been given, and live it for Christ.

These are things you will never regret, and they will make each day
successful in it's own measure.

remember
Only one life, will soon be past
Only what is done, for Christ will last

love always
millie

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THE STONE CUTTER

There was once a stone cutter who was dissatisfied with himself and with
his position in life.

One day he passed a wealthy merchant's house. Through the open gateway, he
saw many fine possessions and important visitors. How powerful that
merchant must be! thought the stone cutter. He became very envious and
wished that he could be like the merchant.

To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more
luxuries and power than he had ever imagined, but was envied and detested
by those less wealthy than himself. Soon a high official passed by, carried
in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and escorted by soldiers
beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the
procession. How powerful that official is! he thought. I wish that I
could be a high official!

Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered
sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around. It was a hot summer
day, so the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He
looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his
presence. How powerful the sun is! he thought. I wish that I could be
the sun!

Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the
fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved
between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on
everything below. How powerful that storm cloud is! he thought. I wish
that I could be a storm cloud!

Then he became the storm cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted
at by everyone. But soon he found that he was being pushed away by some
great force, and realized that it was the wind. How powerful it is! he
thought. I wish that I could be the wind!

Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting
trees, feared and hated by all below him. But after a while, he ran up
against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew
against it - a huge, towering rock. How powerful that rock is! he
thought. I wish that I could be a rock!

Then he became the rock, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as
he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the
hard surface, and felt himself being changed. What could be more powerful
than I, the rock? he thought.

He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stone cutter.

Author Unknown