Thankful Even In The Storm

A woman was always able to find something for which she was thankful.  One morning there was a terrible snow storm, but she still showed up in time for work, and she was thankful.  Her supervisor was surprised to see her, and was equally surprised to hear that she was thankful to make it to work in such a storm.

When asked why she was so thankful, she said that she was thankful that she lived so close to work.  Her supervisor still did not understand how she could even walk on the icy sidewalks with the blowing winds.  She said that she was so thankful that she was able to crawl to work on her hands and knees.  Her supervisor was astounded, and asked what was so wonderful about crawling to work on her hands and knees.  The woman smiled and said, "During the blizzard in the early morning light, no one was able to see me!"

- Submitted by Dr. James Wideman, The Pastor's Story File (November 1994)

Looking Past The Negatives

He was always in trouble, so when the parents of the junior high boy received another call to meet with his teacher and the principal, they knew what was coming.

The teacher said, “Thanks for coming. I wanted you to hear what I have to say.”

The father waited, thinking about what defense he could use this time. The teacher proceeded to go down a list of ten positive affirmations, or potential benefits, of the junior high “troublemaker.” When she finished, the father said, “And what else? Let’s hear the bad things.”

“That’s all I wanted to say,” she said.

That night when the father got home, he repeated the conversation to his son. Almost overnight, the troublemaker’s behavior changed. All because a teacher looked past the negatives to see the potential in a young man.

 — Peter Lord, former pastor, Park Avenue Baptist Church, Titusville, Florida