Inspirational Stories

She made a believer out of me…

02/17/2010 in Inspirational Stories

In time, it happened just as she said it would…

She was a door-to-door Avon lady by day and a Bible teacher by night and on weekends. Her name was Mrs. McGuffie. I will always remember her as a person who gave direction and inspiration to my life.

This story begins when I was a nine-year-old boy attending Sunday School and Training Union at the First Baptist Church in Howe, Texas. One Sunday evening in class, I was doing what mischievous boys will do. I was throwing spitballs across the room at a friend while Mrs. McGuffie was writing on the blackboard. As I was in the middle of launching one of my bombs, Mrs. McGuffie turned quickly and fixed her eyes on me and said, “Ronnie Corzine, you are going to be a preacher someday.” I laughed like Sarah when she was told she would have a child in her old age. Under my breath I said, “Over your dead body.”

Well, my life continued seemingly on course. I was living fast and furious as a teenager, doing my own thing and giving no thought to my future. On my 18th birthday, I was invited to a citywide crusade. That night as the minister spoke, my heart was touched as I was faced with the reality of my life, how I was living it, and what I would do to make a difference in this world.

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My entire outlook changed that day…

02/17/2010 in Inspirational Stories

An old Ann Landers column contains some excellent advice from one of her readers. This lady said that at one time she assumed that a wealthy woman whom she only knew slightly was an arrogant snob because she rarely spoke and never smiled. She also had the feeling that the woman in the supermarket with the whining children was a lousy mother. “Then,” she said, “one day I stood in line at the grocery store. I noticed that the clerk never smiled at the customers and ignored light conversation.” She said, “I was tempted to tell her what I thought of her sour attitude when the elderly woman in front of me took a different approach. She said, ‘Honey, you look like you’re having a bad day.’ The clerk looked up with the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen and said, ‘My husband lost his job yesterday and I just found out I am pregnant.’ The lady patted her hand and said, ‘Dear, things will work out.’ When it was my turn,” she said, “the clerk had tears in her eyes, but she smiled, and I felt ashamed of myself for being so intolerant.” Then the lesson she teaches is significant. She said, “That instant made me realize that people usually aren’t rude because they’re mean and want to make my life miserable. They are unpleasant because they have problems on their mind and a heavy heart. My entire outlook changed that day, and I am now much more compassionate.” She said, “I now assume the frowning woman might be worried about the results of a biopsy.

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It happened on the day I refuse to quit…

02/17/2010 in Inspirational Stories

It happened on the day that I had planned to drop out of college. After chapel service I walked past the administration office and headed downtown to my little part-time job at Electrical Equipment Company where I sold lighting fixtures. It was a hot, muggy Friday afternoon. A nice but persistent lady entered the store and wanted to buy a fixture and have it installed that same afternoon in her home, because she was having out of town guest for the weekend. I told her all our electricians were busy and it would be Monday before we could get to her, unless she was willing for me stop by on my way home and do it. She agreed. So after work that day I placed the fixture in my car and headed to South Campbell Street. We had agreed that since I wasn’t a licensed electrician that I would do the job for $10.00. I quickly went to work installing the fixture saying very little about me or my family, except that we were students at Baptist Bible College. When I finished and was cleaning up she handed me $20.00. I reminded her our agreement was for $10.00. She smiled and said she and her husband knew what it was like for a young couple to be working their way through college. I said thank you and proceeded to put my tools in the car when out of the clear blue I heard her from the porch say, “please wait just a few minutes”. I waited for about ten minutes and she came out the front door with a large box of groceries. She smiled as she handed it to me and said, God bless you, your family and your future. I said thank you, then got in my car and drove away. I was so happy I was crying. You see what she didn’t know was that I was going to quit college that day because we had no money to buy food. So many things like that have happened throughout our life. I don’t remember the address, nor do I know her name, but God used her that day to encourage and remind me that He is always watching out for his children. So if you are thinking about quitting today, DON’T!! God only knows what might happen.

You can change your world…

02/17/2010 in Inspirational Stories

We touch the lives of others in ways we often never know. People sometimes come into our personal world for fleeting moments and can leave us forever changed. We have more power to create or to destroy than we can imagine. We can leave things or individuals better or worse than we found them. A look, a word, a gesture has tremendous impact and frequently we blither along through our existence unaware of the mighty power that our communication wields.

Here’s an example:

It was a rainy, humid day: the mother of all bad hair days. I was riding on a bus downtown to go to work. The windows on the bus were covered in condensation so thick you couldn’t see outside. Everyone was wilting. I was sitting next to a man in a business suit and didn’t pay much attention until we both got off at the same stop and walked to the same newsstand to get a morning paper.

The man running the stand was obviously having a bad day. He was rude, abrupt and unsmiling as we purchased our papers, which served to only add more gloom to my day. The businessman caught my eye and smiled. He then proceeded to smile brightly, thank the newsstand proprietor for the paper and for being open on such a morning to make sure we were able to get our papers.

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A few little words made all the difference…

02/17/2010 in Inspirational Stories

My wife Anne and I had been eeking out a living for the first three years of Bible College. Things had been tough for some time and I was exhausted and discouraged. I decided that I’d had all that I could stand and would stop by the administration office after school that day and check out. I knew it would be right for me to get a full-time job and support my family the way they needed and deserved to be supported. We had a guest speaker during chapel that day and, to be quite honest, I don’t remember anything he said with the exception of these few words. Somewhere close to the end of his message he clapped his hands and said, “Listen to me! If you don’t hear anything else I say, hear this.” He proceeded with these words, “You don’t determine a man’s greatness by fame or fortune as the world does, but by the amount of discouragement he can withstand and remain standing.” His words were like a sharp dagger in my heart. At that moment I decided to do whatever it took to finish school and become a success on the basis of what God called success. Those few words changed my life’s direction and my family’s future provision. I am reminded as I write this, that if we are not careful we will allow the messenger of good news to keep us from receiving the good news. You see, I had some issues with this man in certain areas of belief, but I refused to allow them to keep me from receiving his life-changing words. Today, I remembered and thanked God for Dr. Jerry Falwell.

How is your focus?

02/17/2010 in Inspirational Stories

Have you ever found yourself STUCK in a rut with the feeling that your life is going NOWHERE?

Have you ever felt UNSURE about the steps you have taken, and continue to take in your life?

Are you EXACTLY where you want to be in life right now?

Don’t worry, and don’t feel bad. There are lots of other people just like you. People who have no direction, or possibly have a direction but just don’t know how to get there.

Everybody’s life has its ups and downs, but not everybody is aware that they can actually DO something themselves to turn things around. Knowing how to focus, how to build up confidence and self-esteem, and knowing when to exercise self-discipline are HUGE steps toward a better life for yourself and those around you.

Focusing is usually not our problem, but focusing on the wrong thing(s) is a problem.

We have a tendency to focus on what we have lost or don’t have, rather than focusing on what we do have.

It is not a matter of no focus but a wrong focus. Mario Andretti the famous race care driver once said, “the reason for many mishaps and crashes is that people focus on what they are trying to avoid or miss.” So if you focus only on the wall or other race cars you will eventually be pulled into those things.

We need to look for daylight, for openings and opportunities. And think about finishing the race.

If you are not happy with your answers to the above questions I would recommend today you take inventory of your life and make a mental list of the wonderful things you do possess and begin to focus on them and give thanks.