When we get discouraged...

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

A big thank you to you all for your many suggestions and ideas. It

is great to have such a supportive group. Lately, when I really get

discouraged, I have read and re-read this e-mail below that I

received from a friend....maybe it will help some of you, too. God

Bless. LD

" When your hut's on fire " .....

" The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small,

uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him.

Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed

forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut

out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his

few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home

to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky.

He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was

stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How

could you do this to me? Early the next day, he was awakened by the

sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue

him. 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his

rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.

The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things

are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in

our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering.. Remember

that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground,

it just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God. "