Blog Archives

Shake It Off

10/31/2012

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

© 2003, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume I (2003).

Who Packs Your Parachute?

10/30/2012

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude.

The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone needs someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory -- he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize the people who pack your parachute.

© 2003, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume I (2003).

Mud Sitting

10/25/2012

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

A farmer was out plowing his field one spring morning. The spring thaw had just occurred and there were many muddy valleys in the field. Through one particularly wet place his tractor became stuck in the mud. The harder he tried, the deeper he became stuck. Finally, he walked over to his neighbor's to ask for help. The neighbor came over and looked at the situation. He shook his head, and then said, "It doesn't look good, but I tell you what. I'll give it a try pulling you out. But if we don't get it out, I'll come sit in the mud with ya!"

Although we may not all be farmers, we do experience getting "stuck in the mud" from time to time. And chances are we probably know someone who is stuck right now. Have you tried "mud-sitting" with a friend? It may be the best thing you can do!

© 2003, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume I (2003).

Carrot, Egg or Coffee Bean?

10/24/2012

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee.

The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked. "What's the point, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter.

"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?" Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

Don't tell GOD how big your storm is. Tell the storm how big your GOD is! May GOD BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY.

© 2003, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume I (2003).

The Key is Endurance

10/23/2012

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

This week I discovered that our own Mr. Jennings had been to New York City to run in the much publicized marathon. The souvenir he brought home was a large blister on his foot that almost kept him from finishing the race. He described the difficulty of keeping going for the entire twenty-six miles, and the temptation to stop before he reached his goal. He and another Morton Plant Mease team member were together for those last few miles. They were both hurting, one with a swollen Achilles heel and Mr. Jennings with his blister. Both agreed that if they stopped to rest one more time, they would not be able to start again. They promised to encourage each other.

Mr. Jennings then shared the real secret to his ability to finish the race. He said that he had often heard about the effect of the encouragement of the crowd. Their cheers and shouts of support seemed to carry them like a wave to the end.

As he talked, a passage of Scripture came to my mind. I listened more closely. He said that at race time it was very cold, a chilly forty degrees. To keep warm as they waited for the beginning of the race, they wore warm clothes, such as a sweatsuit. But soon after the race began, as the body heats up, those clothes had to be gradually discarded. The idea was to wear clothes that were warm, but disposable.

The principle is true because life in general, and the Christian life in particular, is a race, a marathon. Endurance, not speed, is needed.

In the New Testament book of Hebrews there is a description of the Christian life as a race. It says, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. . .” Like the clothes that keep us warm at the beginning of the race, which must soon be discarded, there are things in our lives that, while not bad in themselves, may keep us from reaching our goals. And like that crowd that cheers on the marathoners, urging them to finish the race, there are those in our lives, who are pulling for us, urging us on.

The application to your life may be different, but the general principle is the same. You are not alone. The daily grind may seem to get to you sometimes, but the race is not a sprint. The goal may be distant, and what is needed is endurance.

© 2003, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume I (2003).

The Journey is the Blessing

10/21/2012

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

For most of our lives we are consumed with preparation and thoughts and dreams about what we will become. At a young age we start seeking answers to the question, "What are you going to be when you grow up?" Education and experience come in stages, each getting us ready for the next phase. By middle age many have still not found an adequate answer.

Last year I read a book by Lisa Wingate that profoundly influenced my life. Entitled Tending Roses, it is not a book that normally would grab my attention. But at the suggestion of my wife, who knows me so well, I opened it and was captured. The opening paragraph hooked me.

"Indian wisdom says our lives are rivers. We are born somewhere small and quiet and we move toward a place we cannot see, but only imagine. Along our journey, people and events flow into us, and we are created of everywhere and everyone we have passed. Each event, each person, changes us in some way. Even in times of drought we are still moving and growing, but it is during seasons of rain that we expand the most—when water flows from all directions, sweeping at terrifying speed, chasing against rocks, spilling over boundaries. These are painful times, but they enable us to carry burdens we could never have thought possible…Floods are painful, but they are necessary. They keep us clear and strong. They move our lives onto new paths."

I have discovered that the journey is the blessing. Don't be so obsessed with preparing for the future that you miss the enjoyment of the moment.

© 2003, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume I (2003).

How to Use Grace Drops

10/20/2012

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

"Grace Drops" are seeds of encouragement sewn in the hearts of everyone who reads them. They are simple stories that reveal the deep feelings in the human heart. I have here a few suggestions as to how they may be used.

1.      Personal encouragement – Time and again people have stopped to tell me how much a particular Grace Drop has meant to them. They are stories that can be enjoyed, applied, and shared with others. Some help us to appreciate simple pleasures of life and others teach valuable lessons. All are meant to be encouraging.

2.      Small group devotional reflections – I have worked in settings where I needed to have a brief time of reflection to inspire and encourage my fellow team members. These stories are just the right length and are non-specific so that all may get pleasure from them.

3.      Motivational – One of the recipients of Grace Drops was a sales manager and used them to motivate his team. Many of the Grace Drops are ideal to enhance and build better interpersonal relationships.

4.      Family – Use Grace Drops with children to teach moral and life lessons.

5.      A Personal Example – I was invited to speak to a group of lay men and women at a local church about "spiritual care of the sick and shut-in." There were about 15 to 20 men and women gathered in the classroom. As a part of the lesson, I used one of the Grace Drops, "A Piece of Cake," to emphasize the participants’ own uniqueness and their special ministry. To emphasize the point, I placed a small slice of pound cake in front of each person without telling them why. At the end of the lesson I read the Grace Drop and told them that they could now eat their piece of cake. The combination of the encouraging story and the tasty object lesson drove the point home. It was a great way to end the session.

6.      Contact us with stories of how you have used Grace Drops.

© 2003, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume I (2003).

Grace Drops

10/20/2012

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Have you ever felt a single drop of rain? You may not even notice it. Certainly it is no cause to run for shelter. Often that single drop is the precursor to an eventual downpour, or, it may be just the teasing of a small rogue cloud on an otherwise sunny day. While one drop by itself is harmless, before long those single drops begin to soak anyone and anything left uncovered. The collection of those drops eventually becomes a puddle. Enough rain causes puddles to overflow and become a small flood. And you know, it doesn’t take all that long.

Grace drops are like that single drop of rain. Standing alone, they may seem insignificant, and may even be overlooked. Gradually, though, they may become puddles of grace and even result in a flood that can change the landscape.

What are “grace drops?” Grace is anything that empowers, uplifts, or encourages another. A smile has power. When your manager or supervisor walks into the room, doesn’t it make a difference when you see a smile. Whether it is a fellow team member, a visitor, or a patient, remember the power of a smile. Words are also “grace drops.” Familiarity does indeed breed contempt, and we often forget that “please” and “thank you” are mood altering words.

Most “grace drops” are simple things that by themselves may seem too small to matter. But collectively they can change a prison into a palace. Who’s first? Where do they begin? They begin with you.

© 2003, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume I (2003).