Things Aren’t Always What They Seem



Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room. Instead, the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bedroom the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied…. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good nights’ rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel “How could you have let this happen!?

The first man had everything, yet you helped him,” she accused. ”The second family had so little, but was willing to share everything and you let their cow die.”

“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied.”When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave her the cow instead. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

Sometimes this is exactly what happens when things don’t turn out the way you think they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until some time later. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Hebrews 13:16 

Winning the Lottery

An Ohio man who needs kidney dialysis to stay alive won $5 million in the lottery--but says he plans on giving part of his windfall away.

"I'm going to help people because I love it. It makes me feel good, and I think that's what God put us here for," Phillip Withem of Logan said Tuesday, right after accepting the mega-check from the Ohio Lottery.

Wow!  Just when I thought people couldn't get any greedier, someone steps up and shatters my thinking!

It seems that this man has a belief system that puts others ahead of himself.  Again...Wow!  In an age where our leaders of all kinds are putting their wants and needs ahead of anything for anyone else, this is so very refreshing! 

Our news articles are all about the negative aspects of our society.  You can't watch the news without hearing, for thirty minutes why the world is so bad.  And then I'm flipping through the news on Yahoo and I see this article about Mr. Withem of Logan, Ohio. 

Here are five reasons to think of others first:

If you're giving to others, you're thinking about them and not yourself.  Mother Teresa said, "I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love."   When you're thinking about others, you allow yourself to find the love that is in each one of us and make it come alive for both of you.  You forget all about your problems.

When you put others first, your life is happier.  When you're working to do for others, their joys become your joys.  As you see them reaching their goals, becoming who they want to be or doing what they want to do, you're a part of that effort and you become happier because you've helped make them happier.

When you focus on others first, it comes back to you, in ways you never imagined.  There have been many times in my life when I've done for others, simply because I chose to do it.  I expected no rewards or gratitude.  In fact, many times I did it anonymously preferring not to be recognized for my efforts.  In almost every case, I received back many times over what I gave.  Again, not because a debt was owed but because someone else was doing the same thing, putting others first.

Edward Everett Hale once said, "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."  You may think that there is nothing you can do to make a difference in this world.  It is true that we may not be able to change the world, but by putting others first and taking action to help, we can change one little corner of the world.  That's a start.



Many times we think we must rely on the 'heroes' of our world to make it better.  This is just not the case.  Helen Keller said, "The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker."  When we put others first we are a hero to them.  We haven't moved mountains or parted the seas, but, for that person, we did what we could. 

You see, like Mr. Withem, we all have the ability to reach out to others and make their lives a little better.  Is that going to change his health problems?  Maybe not in ways that we can see, but his soul will be happier, will be freer because he did what he could do.  And in turn, that may make his health better, his recovery quicker, and his outlook brighter.

Have you done what you can for someone else today?