Category: Stories with a Lesson

Although I may seem to be a calm peaceful sort of person, I am not so by nature, but I have learned to suppress feelings of upset, and by The Grace Of God I keep placid, even though I may be upset or angry. It certainly pays off as I have found in practice. I have had experience in meeting unpleasant people who have put me to the test People are one thing, but circumstances and things really do put me to the test. Early today I had a very good idea for one of these magazine articles and wanted to get it down on paper before it slipped away from me. I spent two hours typing the article on my laptop and finally finished it in triumph.

It was at that very minute that the computer decided to declare war on me. It would not do what I told it to do, and refused to save the work I had so laboriously put on the screen. I got angry with it, calling it a stupid computer, and it at once confirmed that it was just that, and blotted out every word I had written. Yes… gone forever.

I remembered that I was a Christian Minister (all be it retired) and calmed down. The next hour and three quarters I endeavored to remember what I had previously written, and finished with a not-so-good article, but passable. Would you believe it the computer gave a repeat performance and would not save my work.

I have seen people kick a chair in anger, throw something, or do a little stupid dance to express their feelings. I could have thrown the computer through the window if I had not recalled that it was double glazed. But I didn’t do anything.

When you consider how stupid it is to blame some inanimate object because either it or you have failed in something, there is not much sense in it. Anger is never logical , and it can be changed to something more pleasant.

I remember my father once came home to the gathered family feeling very upset over something. After trying to tell my mother what had made him angry, with a great gesture he took off his hat, threw it to the floor and stamped on it. We all looked at the hat, and I being the youngest said “Is it dead Dad?” Happily we all ended up laughing.

You see we can, with a little control, change our mood, and stop looking foolish or show our lack of control.. My mother’s method on such occasions was to stop and count slowly up to ten. I recommend that rather than ruin a good hat.

The fact remains that we can do much damage to our reputation, and even to other people if we lose our temper, let alone good furniture.

The real answer is to be filled with The Holy Spirit. “The fruit of The Spirit is

Love, joy, peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self control.” (Gal.5v22)

Remember ANGER is only one letter short of DANGER.,

May The Good Lord give you His Tranquility… Gerald Gossage.

I just sat down for a break and started getting into the detective murder mystery that was being watched. It has been with me for a couple of days now and I just cannot get rid of what I absorbed from the story. Of course it was dramatically presented, but this child suddenly hated her nanny and took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed the nanny to death.

Of course that part of the story only came out as the wonderful detective investigated another few murders, all graphically shown, but I am still concerned that what I understood to be just a story for my entertainment, should still pester my mind days later as if it had been a real happening.

Our human mind is a strange and rather wonderful part of our body. It can make me rehear some delightful bit of music all over again, and although I might not be able to remember what it was called, I can delight to hear it again in my memory. In the midst of doing something I burst out laughing the other day as I remembered some funny event that had caused much laughter. Someone smiles, and we know that they are thinking of something pleasant. By the look on another’s face we can know we have said the wrong thing. Our conversation reveals what we are thinking and so we make communication between minds. The Mind, how wonderful !

The world we live in is just full of bad, wicked, and evil things. It is also full of the lovely, good, and God-Blessing things. What we reveal to our mind is very much our responsibility. I have made certain rules for myself which will protect my mind. If the T/V programme uses blasphemy or bad language, I switch it off or find another programme. We should just refuse to allow our mind to record that which we consider unhealthy to our living..

Neither should we allow our mind to dwell on things which, although troublesome we can do nothing about. I remember still after the Haiti earthquake the airport was packed with helpers and equipment to help, and planes were being told to return to wherever they came from, there was no room to land. Yet while nothing was being organized there was no help given to the dying and needy who needed help, food and water.

There is one thing I can do about it… Pray ! When I have done all I can do I must dismiss it from my mind and turn my thought to what things I should do in my daily round, to do my best.

Would you like to hear What God is saying to you about your mind ? Then here it is:-

“Fix your thoughts on what is TRUE,GOOD, and RIGHT. Think about things that are PURE and LOVELY. Dwell on the FINE and GOOD things you see in others. Things about all you can PRAISE GOD for, and be GLAD ABOUT.”

Keep putting into practice all you have learned from God, and God’s peace will be with you.

Greetings from Gerald Gossage.

This story comes from Italy. It seems that a famous church was to have a special painting done on one of it’s walls by a famous artist. Much scaffolding was erected with many polls and planks so that the artist could reach every part of the wall, and when all the preparation was done the great man arrived to do the painting.

He climbed the scaffolding and just stood looking at the wall, occasionally he would move to view it from another part, then stand looking. The next day he arrived and did just the same as he had done before. Not a brush or bit of paint he had with him. On the third day he again arrived without paint or brushes, and he did nothing but move about and look at the wall.

By now the reverend Father just had to say something. “My son, you do not seem to have even started on the painting, when are you going to do this great painting?”

“Father” said the artist “The painting is just finished, all I have to do now is put it on the wall”.

If you think about that simple story you can see a parable about your life. There was an occasion when God decided to create you, He spent an effort just thinking what sort of person He would like you to be, what would be the best generation to bring you to birth, the country you should be born in, what parents and people would influence your life.

God wanted you to have the opportunity to be in His eternal world we call heaven, there you would be perfect and beautiful, a blessing to all. Like a masterpiece painting.

God knew that you could never be perfect and beautiful yourself, Like brushes and paint. so we have God’s Son coming to live and die for you, and return from death in your place. Would you share His life and live in Him? Or be so self-centred and be out of touch with the Master who wants to transport you into His perfection.

Like the artist in the story God has made the work of art that you are already, Let God put you into His eternal place as you daily live with Him and allow Him make you what will be His Master-piece for ever in Heaven.

Sincerely yours. Gerald Gossage

She was Miss Isabella Hume, and she lived in the Post Office come Sweet Shop, in a village called Longformacus, in Berwickshire. She loved her village with its rolling hills and green fields, and enjoyed walking in such beauty, often wondering if she could increase it’s beauty.

One day, perhaps seventy or eighty years ago, she had a thought, and she started to put it into operation. She told all the children who came to buy sweets to come on Saturday for a little job she had for them to do; and on that Saturday her shop was crowded with the village children.

To each child she handed a bag full of snowdrop bulbs, and smilingly she told them how to plant them, and sent them out to plant them in every place they could find where they could grow.

The children planted them all over the village. Up to the door of the church, around the Manse, along the banks of the river, and along the sides of the road. When all the bulbs were planted the children returned to tell where they were, and received another bag.. With sweets in.

As winter came to it’s end, Miss Hume waited and watched, and sure enough up came the snowdrops, and amazingly they came up every year after. What a sight ! They fill the village every year, after all these years, Long after Miss Hume has been laid to rest.

What this humble lady did so long ago can still be seen heralding the Spring, and adding to the beauty of the village.

What will be left behind by me that will bless other people? Will anyone remember you for something that you did ? Our loving influence on children ? Some blessing to our friends ? Will there be someone in heaven because you spoke to them ? Or Prayed ? Will somebody be loving and kind, because they remember your love and kindness ?

I wonder whether you will leave behind something that will live on after you ! Not a weather-worn grave stone with a few dates, What can we do today that will be a future blessing to delight others ?

Gerald Gossage. (seeking to serve!)

“The daughter of Pharaoh came down to the river to bathe.”

Every one of us has a set number of days to live here in this world, and nobody knows how many. Therefore every day is precious, and we can never know what we may achieve in this day.

The text above is from Exodus Ch 1.v22. and Hebrews Ch 11 v23 and tells us that a young woman went to have a bath in the river, could there be anything of less importance, yet that one act was to effect the lives of millions. And to alter the whole of history.

Pharaoh, King of Egypt, had made God’s people (called Hebrews) to be slaves in Egypt, with taskmasters to whip them and ill treat them; But he saw that their numbers still grew and he feared they might revolt and rise up against Egypt, so he made a new law that all boys born to the Hebrews should be cast into the river.

A baby boy was born to one couple, and they kept him alive for three months, but they knew that once he was discovered, the soldiers of Egypt would drown him. So the parents had a plan; they made a basket big enough to put the baby in, covered it with pitch to keep the water out, and launched the basket into the river with the baby inside. The baby’s sister kept watch from the bank to see what would happen to it.

“The daughter of Pharaoh came down to the river to bathe”. She found the basket, took the baby out and made it her own, calling him Moses. But God’s miracle did not stop there. The baby’s sister went to Pharaoh’s daughter and said that she knew of a woman who would nurse the baby for her, and the baby’s own mother became the one who nursed Moses, and got paid for doing it!

When Moses grew up he knew everything about the people who ruled Egypt and could be the best person to deliver his own Hebrew Nation out of their slavery, for God had made him just for such a task. God’s Word tells us that before God made the universe He planned it so perfectly that every person He made would have a planned life to fit the talents and abilities He placed within them, so that if they obeyed His rules they would live a life pleasing to Him (the maker) and be able to live with Him after this testing period of life was over.

Later in the story of Moses we say that he did not want to do what God had planned for him to do. He made excuses, which show how God gives people free will. But God said “Just trust Me for I will be with you” and Moses was persuaded.

Moses never found the job easy, and it took longer than he thought; But the day came when Moses headed the whole nation of God’s people out of Egypt and slavery, and toward a new land.

I have spent my whole long life obeying and serving God. There have been times when I did not want to do what He was telling me to do, but like Moses I did it trusting that God knew what He was doing and I trusted Him. I have to say that He has never failed me. I learned to tackle each task believing that He knew where He was leading, and all I had to do was to follow. It has been a though life, but a great and wonderful one.

Each day that you live you will be like a broadcasting station, constantly giving out signals. People know the kind of person you are, they hear what you say, they see your smile, you leave an impression on those you contact. Even in very ordinary things. Like the daughter of Pharaoh, God can work His purpose out through you. Every Day can be one Of Priceless Value.

Remember what Jesus said “I am with you always, even unto the end.”