Monday 27 June 2016

The Elephant and the Dog

I was talking with a friend of mine last night. He is a Chaplin attached to the San Hospital at Wahoonga. We were discussing dealing with the loss of our loved ones. How events like this test our faith and the struggles many of us face in getting our faith back. One of my current struggles. 

He sent me the following this morning. I thought I would share it. It's a lovely story and the message equally so. 

An elephant and a dog became pregnant at the same time. Three months down the line the dog gave birth to six puppies. Six months later the dog was pregnant again, and nine months later it gave birth to another half dozen puppies. The pattern continued. 

On the eighteenth month the dog approached the elephant questioning. “Are you sure you are pregnant.” We became pregnant on the same date. I have given birth three times to half a dozen puppies and they are now grown to become big dogs. “What’s going on?”

The elephant replied. 

“There is something I want you to understand. What I am carrying is not a puppy but an elephant. I only give birth to one in two years. When my baby hits the ground, the earth feels it. When my baby crosses the road, human beings stop and watch in admiration. What I carry draws attention. So what I am carrying is mighty and great.”

The message? 

Don’t lose faith when you see others receive answers to their prayers. (Or when others laugh at you for starting you OWN business. Or, when others think you’re crazy for following the voice of God.)

Don’t be envious of others testimony. If you haven’t received your own blessings, don’t despair. Say to yourself “My time is coming, and when it hits the surface of the earth, people shall yield in admiration.”  

It's all too easy to be hard on ourselves. We all (at times) have unrealistic expectations of ourselves. That is definitely so for people who like me, are used to being in control of their lives. We need to be kind to ourselves. Take time. 

God bless.