The Torchbearer

The God of the Great Endeavor gave me a torch to Bear.

I lifted it high above me in the dark and murky air.

Straightway and loud hosannas the crowd acclaimed its light.

And followed me as I carried my torch through the dark and starless night.

Till mad with the people’s praises and drunken with vanity,

I forgot it was the Torch that drew them

And fancied they followed me.

And my arm grew sore and weary upholding the shiny load,

And my tired feet went stumbling over the hilly road.

I fell, the torch beneath me, in a moment the flame was out.

But lo! From the throng a stripling sprang forth with a mighty shout,

Caught up the torch as it smouldered and lifted it high again,

Till fanned by the winds of heaven it fired the souls of men.

As I lay alone in the darkness,

The feet of the trampling crowd, pass over and beyond me,

Their praises proclaimed aloud.

And I learned in the deepening shadow this glorious verity,

T’is the torch the people follow, who ‘ere the bearer be.

Humbert Wolfe

I copied this poem
from the desk of my mission president when I was called as an Assistant to him
on my mission a decade ago.

Wherever I go, this poem is a constant reminder to me to be humble especially if you are called to lead. Those who have been called to serve should remember always, despite the adulation and abounding praise and vanities we will receive, we are there to direct people's attention and life to Him, we are instrument to His hands, whatever path of destiny we are are traversing, our simple pride will always be sublime to the praise and glory of our God.

The Rope

There was once a mountain climber, who wanted to climb the highest mountain. He begun his adventure after many years of preparation, but since he wanted the glory just for himself, he decided to climb the mountain alone.

And lo, the journey begun, when the night felt heavy in the height of the mountain, and the man could not see anything. It’s so dark, all was black. A zero visibility, and the moon and the starts were covered by the clouds.

As he was climbing, and it’s like forever, only a few feet away from the top of the mountain, he slipped and fell into the air, falling at a great speed. The climber could only see black spots as he went down, and the terrible sensation of being swallowed by gravity. He keep falling…and falling, and in those moments of great fear, it came to his mind all the good things and bad things that had happened to his life.

He was thinking now about how close death was getting, and he closes his eyes; when all of a sudden he felt the rope tied to his waist pull him very hard. It’s tightening! His body was still hanging in the air. Only the rope was holding him, and in that moment of stillness, he had no other choice and he started to scream,
HELP ME, OH GOD!

He sobbed. Dreams failed, he would be remembered as someone who died in the mountain, in an accident in his quest for glory. He thinks of his family and friends, and those people he cared about. “Oh God, help me”, in the deepening silence of the night his voice is helpless and hopeless but he managed to call God.

All of a sudden, a deep voice coming from the sky answered:

“What do you want me to do?”

The climber answered, ‘Oh God, is that you? Save me my God!”

“Do you really think I can save you?” said the voice.

“Of course, I believe You can” said the climber.

“Then cut the rope tied to your waist…” ordered the Voice.

There was a moment of silence; and the man turn between two choices. He will cut the rope and fall or hold on till morning and wait for rescue.

He decided to hold on to the rope, and the Voice is not heard anymore.

The rescue team tells, that the next day a climber was found dead, and frozen…his body hanging from a rope. His hands holding tight to it…
ONLY 10 FEET AWAY FROM THE GROUND.

And we? How attached are we to our rope? What are the things that make us hold on to the rope, like fame, glory, worldly things, status and beauty. Are we willing to let go?

©2008 THOUGHTSKOTO

THE INTERVIEW WITH GOD

THE INTERVIEW WITH GOD

Image by Greg Olsen "Lost and Found"

Original Entry: http://www.interviewwithgod.com/theoriginal.htm

I dreamed I had an interview with God.
“So you would like to interview me?” God asked
“If you have the time” I said. God smiled. “My time is eternity”
“What questions do you have in mind for me?”
“What surprises you most about humankind?...”
God answered...

“That they get bored with childhood. They rush to grow up and then long to be children again.”

“That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health.”

“That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future.”

“That they live as if they will never die, and die as if they had never lived.”

God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while
And then I asked...
“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”
God replied with a smile

“To learn they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is let themselves be loved.”

“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”

“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.”

“To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and it takes many years to heal them.”

“To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.”

“To learn that there are persons who love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.”

“To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.”

“To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others. But that they must forgive themselves.”

“And to learn that I am here always.”



http://www.interviewwithgod.com/theoriginal.htm