A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks away

A store owner was tacking a sign above his door that read “Puppies for Sale.” Signs have a way of attracting children, and soon a little boy appeared at the store and asked, “How much are you going to sell those puppies for?”

  The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.” The little boy reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2-35, can I look at them?” The store owner smiled and whistled. Out of the back of the store came his dog running down the aisle followed by five little puppies.

  One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy. “What’s wrong with that little dog?” he asked. The man explained that when the puppy was born the vet said it had a bad hip socket and would limp for the rest of it’s life. The little boy got really excited and said “That’s the puppy I want to buy!”

  The man replied “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll give him to you.” The little boy got upset. He looked straight into the man’s eyes and said. “I don’t want you to give him to me. He is worth every bit as much as the other dogs and I’ll pay the full price. In fact, I will give you $2-35 now and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

  The man countered, “You really don’t want to buy this puppy, son. He is never going to be able to run, jump and play like other puppies.” The little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the man and said, “Well, I don’t run so well myself and the little puppy will need someone who understands.” The man was now biting his bottom lip. Tears welled up in his eyes. He smiled and said, “Son, I hope and pray that each and every one of these puppies will have an owner such as you.”

  In life it doesn’t matter who you are, but whether someone appreciates you for what you are and accepts you and loves you unconditionally. A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks away.

 - John Aldersley

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Een compagnon om samen op stap te gaan

The blessing of a broken leg

Mr. McConkey told of a lady summering in Switzerland who went for a stroll and came to a shepherd’s fold. She looked in at the door. There sat the shepherd and nearby on a pile of straw lay a single sheep seemingly in suffering. Asking what was the trouble, she was told that the lamb’s leg was broken. The shepherd said that he himself had broken it. It was a most wayward animal and would not follow, not obey and misled the others. He had had experience with sheep of this kind, so he broke one of its legs. The first day when he took it food, it tried to bite him. He let it lie for a couple of days then went back to it. It not only took the food but licked his hand, showing every sign of submission and affection. He said when it was well, it would be the model sheep of the flock. It had learned obedience through suffering. Many times out of our very agony of heart, the God of love seeks to bring into our lives the supremest blessing that can enrich and glorify our lives -- the blessing of a human will yielded to the will of God. Scripture assures God’s children that afflictions are for their profit ‘that we might be partakers of his holiness’ and that we might ‘yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness.’

Quiet Hour Stories with Scripture Readings -- Keith L. Brooks, page 51

Peace in the Storm

"Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast.
He constantly advertised for hired hands.
Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic.
They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic,
wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.
As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job,
he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.
'Are you a good farm hand?' the farmer asked him.
'Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,' answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.
The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore.
Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed to the hired hand's sleeping quarters.
He shook the little man and yelled, 'Get up! A storm is coming!
Tie things down before they blow away!'

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly,
'No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.'

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot.
Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement,
he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins.
The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred.
The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.
The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant,
so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear.

Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?

The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.

We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God.
We don't need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms."
- Unknown

"Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them,
'Let us go over to the other side of the lake.' So they launched out.
But as they were sailing along He fell asleep;
and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake,
and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.
They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying,
'Master, Master, we are perishing!'
And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves,
and they stopped, and it became calm.
And He said to them, 'Where is your faith?'
They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another,
'Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?'"
Luke 8:22-25

The Curse of Gold

Dr. Richard Newton tells the sad story of a sailor who stopped at a small inn at a village in Normandy. He engaged supper and a night’s lodging. The landlord and his wife were quite old and seemed to be poor. The sailor asked them to eat with him and during the meal he inquired about all their family, asking especially about a son who went to sea when a lad. They supposed he was dead, as nothing had been heard from him for years. At bedtime the landlady lighted the sailor to his room. He bade her goodnight, then slipped a little purse of gold into her hand. She showed the purse to her husband and the eyes of the two delighted at the sight of it. They surmised that the sailor must have a lot more in his possession. During the night they murdered him in bed and took all his money. Early next morning two relations came to enquire about the lodger. They said he had left. ‘That isn’t possible,’ they said, ‘for he was your son and had come home to spend his life with you. He told us he would stay with you one night and see how kind you might be to a stranger.’ They had murdered their own son from the cursed love of gold. How many today are ready to sell their souls to the devil for a purse of gold!

Quiet Hour Stories with Scripture Readings
- Keith L. Brooks -- page 87