Race Between Turle and Bear

It was an early winter, cold enough so that the ice had frozen on all the
ponds and Bear, who had not yet learned in those days that it was wiser to
sleep through the White Season, grumbled as he walked through the woods.
Perhaps he was remembering a trick another animal had played on him, perhaps
he was just not in a good mood. It happened that he came to the edge of a
great pond and saw Turtle there with his head sticking out of the ice.
"Hah," shouted Bear, not even giving his old friend a greeting. "What are you
looking at, Slow One?"

Turtle looked at Bear. "Why do you call me slow?"

Bear snorted. "You are the slowest of the animals. If I were to race you, I
would leave you far behind." Perhaps Bear never heard of Turtle's big race
with Beaver and perhaps Bear did not remember that Turtle, like Coyote, is an
animal whose greatest speed is in his wits.

"My friend," Turtle said, "let us have a race to see who is the swiftest."

"All right," said Bear. "Where will we race?"

"We will race here at this pond and the race will be tomorrow morning when
the sun is the width of one hand above the horizon. You will run along the
banks of the pond and I will swim in the water."

"How can that be?" Bear said. "There is ice all over the pond."

"We will do it this way," said Turtle. "I will make holes in the ice along
the side of the pond and swim under the water to each hole and stick my head
out when I reach it."

"I agree," said Bear. "Tomorrow we will race."

When the next day came, many of the other animals had gathered to watch. They
lined the banks of the great pond and watched Bear as he rolled in the snow
and jumped up and down making himself ready.

Finally, just as the sun was a hand's width in the sky, Turtle's head popped
out of the hole in the ice at the starting line. "Bear," he called, "I am
ready."

Bear walked quickly to the starting place and as soon as the signal was
given, he rushed forward, snow flying from his feet and his breath making
great white clouds above his head. Turtle's head disappeared in the first
hole and then in almost no time at all reappeared from the next hole, far
ahead of Bear.

"Here I am Bear," Turtle called. "Catch up to me!" And then he was gone
again. Bear was astonished and ran even faster. But before he could reach the
next hole, he saw Turtle's green head pop out of it.

"Here I am, Bear," Turtle called again. "Catch up to me!" Now bear began to
run in earnest. His sides were puffing in and out as he ran and his eyes were
becoming bloodshot, but it was no use. Each time, long before he would reach
each of the holes, the ugly green head of Turtle would be there ahead of him
calling out to him to catch up!

When Bear finally reached the finish line, he was barely able to crawl.
Turtle was waiting there for him, surrounded by all the other animals. Bear
had lost the race. He dragged himself home in disgrace, so tired that he fell
asleep as soon as he reached his home. He was so tired that he slept until
the warm breath of the Spring came to the woods again.

It was not long after Bear and all to other animals had left the pond that
Turtle tapped on the ice with one long claw. At his sign it a dozen ugly
heads like his popped up from the holes all along the edge of the pond. It
was Turtle's cousins and brothers, all of whom looked just like him!

"My relatives," Turtle said, "I wish to thank you. Today we have shown Bear
that it does not pay to call other people names. We have taught him a good
lesson."

Turtle smiled and a dozen other turtles, all just like him, smiled back. "And
we have shown the other animals," Turtle said, "that Turtles are not the
slowest of the animals."

Some ThoughtsTtoday

I sat this morning sipping coffee, enjoying some "Me" time, going over my Sunday School lesson , my mind went back in time to when my daughters were small.

How fondly I remember the squeals, silly stories and sweet giggles. How good it felt to hold them close, dry their tears, take in the clean smell of their hair after a bath, then listen to the steady, even breathing after they drifted off to sleep. Where did that precious time go? I thought of the hectic pace back then, school and church activities. What happened? The brevity of that sweet season in our lives together flew by. How soon it was gone!

As I reminisced, I thought. Had I taken even a single day for granted? Had I at times allowed life to get so busy that I might have missed out on something?

The Apostle James wrote" Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" ( James 4:14) How true! God gives each of us the same 24 hours each day. He lets us spend them in whatever ways we choose. Will we waste those hours? Or will we fill them with balance and appreciation, seizing and making the most of each and every moment?

As I grow older, I find the minutes, hours, days and weeks pass by too swiftly. I want to shout " WAIT" I want to savor each precious moment, for they will soon evaporate, lost in the vastness of infinity, never to be recaptured.

Today, I thank Jesus for enduring the agony of the cross, for dying in my place to earn the forgiveness I need, I know my days on earth are brief. May God help me make the most of them, even as I look forward to spending eternity in heaven with my Savior.

You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. Psalm 395

Refined as Silver?

A group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three which says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week this woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work.

She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot-- then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy- when I see my image in it.

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We Live in a culture where the importance and rights of individuals are supremely exalted. This often leads to pride and conflict when we demand our way at the expense of others. There can be no unity when everyone is demanding to have their needs met or their will done regardless of others. It is often pointed out we cannot love others unless we love ourselves. Self esteem should never be a synonym for prideful arrogance. Our worth is to be found in our relationship to God and finding his purpose for our lives ( Jer.9:23-24)

In 1 Corinthians Paul mentions three kinds of people. The " Natural Man" ( 2:14) this person is unsaved and does not understand spiritual things he/she lives according to their sinful nature. The second person is " The spiritual person" (v15) who is saved and growing daily in knowledge and obedience to God. The third type is referred to as "people of the flesh" (3:1) these are believers acting as unbelievers.

As in Paul's day, unbelievers today will see no reason to be drawn to Christ if they see the same sins in believers as they see in themselves.