A king wanted to test the wisdom of two of the wisest men in his court. Two men
were given a silver goblet, each containing equal portions of crystal clear
spring water. Each was asked what he saw in the cup. The first man looked and
said he saw a half-empty goblet. The second man replied, "My cup is half full."
The men were then asked to drink the contents of the cup and relay how drinking
the liquid made them feel. The first man complained that the water tasted fine,
but there was not enough, he wanted more. The second man then took his turn.
"The water tastes good and it has quenched my thirst."
The king smiled and, finally, declared who was the wisest man in all his court.
"It is you," he said, turning to the second man. Now I will tell you why.
Looking to the first man, he said,"The cup represents one's life, the world in
which you live. When you looked into the cup, what you saw was a cup half empty,
even though the goblet contained the finest spring water in all the land.
Instead of sipping and finding satisfaction in its contents, you desired more.
In life, you will never see all your many blessings, for your greed and lust for
more will always cloud your thinking."
The king then turned to the second man. "When you looked into the cup you saw a
cup half full. So, too, will you regard life in this way, reaping all its many
blessings and being grateful for the gifts bestowed upon you. A half full cup is
not a full cup, yet its contents can still be sweet and satisfying."
The moral of this story is that life is not always perfect, yet how we view our
cup will determine what mind frame we have when sipping of its contents.
How many people do you know who feel discontentment in their life? Someone ELSE
has the perfect car, job, spouse, or girlfriend, and a generally much more
exciting life. Yet, chances are they think YOUR life is better and that it is
YOU with the perfect spouse, home, job, etc.
Man, in all his fleshly desires, always wants more. Often this desire for more
gets us into trouble, and sometimes we find ourselves losing the very precious
things we thought we never had in the first place.
Today, look at your life with new eyes and begin to see the cup half full as
opposed to half empty. Do you have food, shelter, clothing? Be thankful, for
there are those in impoverished countries who don't even have these basic
necessities. Do you have your health, friends, and loved ones who truly care
about you? Be grateful, for there are those who lay in hospital beds, suffering
and dying with no loved ones to visit and hold their hand. Lastly, do you have
God in your life? Then you are among the richest in the world! If not, it is not
too late for Him to fill YOUR cup with His great love and manifold blessings!
Contributed by Melanie Schurr (Copyright (c)1998 Melanie Schurr)
JoyfulMelanie@aol.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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