Several years ago a young priest moved to London. He often took the bus from his home to the downtown area. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride a bus. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him twenty pence too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, ‘you better give the twenty pence back. It would be wrong to keep it’.

Then he thought, ‘Oh forget it, it’s only twenty pence.’ Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company already gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from the Almighty, and keep quiet’.

When his stop came, the priest paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the twenty pence back to the driver and said: “Here, you gave me too much change.”

The driver with a smile replied: “Aren’t you the new parish priest in this area? I have been thinking lately about going to worship at your Church. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change.”

When the young priest stepped off the bus, his knees became weak and soft. He had to grab the nearest light pole and held for support, and looked up to the heavens and cried:

“Oh my Jesus, I almost sold your Christianity for twenty pence!”

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We may never see what impact our actions have on people… Sometimes we are the only “Bible” someone will ever read, or the only Christianity someone will see. What we need to provide is an example for others to see. Be careful of how you behave, and be honest always: you never know who is watching your actions.

A young boy had a beautiful dream. Behold! God comes to him smiling. As He approached the boy, He asked, “Dear son, whatever you like, you may ask. I will give it to you now.”

What will I ask? The boy was in a dilemma. Suddenly he picked up from his mind one of his great desires that he had been cherishing in his heart. With joy he raised his voice, “Oh, my God, I know that you are omnipotent. You could do whatever you wish. I have a desire. Can you take away ‘nights’ from our life?”

God wondered. He asked, ‘Why should I take away night from earth?’

Boy opened his heart, “as the day ends, my mother forces me to stop playing. If there is no night, I could play for a long time. Not only that, I am afraid of going out at night. Devils and thieves attack us at night. Therefore nights are unnecessary. Let there be always day.”

“Yes, let it happen as you wish”, God said. Suddenly the reality of night disappeared. Everywhere, full of light! But as time passed, it became troublesome.

As nights disappeared, there were no days. As days disappeared, there were no holidays. Boy had to study all the time. Since there were no days, his birthday was not celebrated. Always day and full of light… He was fed up with this unending day… He could play and play… but will get tired at the end. Yet again time is left. The joy of sunrise and sunset were just good old memories. Plants and human beings got exhausted at incessant sunshine.

Boy cried aloud thinking of his comfortable sleep under the blanket in cold mornings. Peaceful sleep and attractive dreams were just bygone memories. He called up the Lord and cried out, “Oh, my God, give me nights. Return to me my beautiful nights.” Suddenly the young boy woke up from the dream.

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Nights give rise to days, months and years. If there are no nights, days would not be as beautiful as we have them today.

It is the same with regard to the darkness that abounds in our life due to pain, sorrows and troubles. Continuous pleasure sought through the senses will irritate us. A life devoid of problems and tensions will lack strength and courage. As day takes birth from the womb of night, so joy takes birth from the womb of sorrows.

Let these thoughts guide us in the New Year. Do not try to avoid the nights that God allows in our life. Convert them as the powerful steps for our joy and growth. An optimistic mind concentrates not on the thought that everything is fine, but on the fact that God will turn everything to good. We have a living God who is able to turn everything to better in our life. That’s our hope. I pray that every reader of Turn Back To God be filled with this hope.

Prayer: Lord, shower your graces upon us so that we may accept the ‘nights’ that God allows in our life happily and hopefully wait for the beautiful dawn that renews everything. Amen.

- – - written by Benny Punnathara

Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a female village moneylender. The female Moneylender, who was old, fat and ugly, fancied the farmer’s handsome son, Cliff. So she proposed a bargain.

She said she would forgo the farmer’s debt if she could marry his son. Both the farmer and his son were horrified by the Proposal.

So the cunning female moneylender suggested that they let providence decide the matter. She told them that she would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty moneybag. Then the son would have to pick one pebble from the bag.

If he picked the black pebble, he would become her husband and the father’s debt would be forgiven. If he picked the white pebble he need not marry her and the father’s debt would still be forgiven. But if he refused to pick a pebble, his father would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a pebble-strewn path in the farmer’s field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As she picked them up, the sharp-eyed son noticed that she had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag.

She then told the son to close his eyes and pick one pebble from the moneybag. Now, if he reveals the dishonesty of the lady, it would be harmful for his father. He also thought that providence of God will lead him to a better conclusion that can overcome the dilemma.

The son put his hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, he fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. ‘Oh, how clumsy of me,’ he said. ‘But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.’

Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that he had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit her dishonesty, the son changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.

Providence of God Never Fails.