Orthodox parables. Parable about thanks
The genre of the parable is distinguished by its simplicity and depth. The Lord Himself told His disciples parables. Everyone can understand the parable, but not everyone will comprehend it. deep meaning. These simple, often dry texts give us food for thought, forcing us to reflect on them again and again. This book contains more than 300 well-known and not very parables that monks, elders, ascetics told each other - these are 300 drops of wisdom that has come down from the depths of centuries.
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The following excerpt from the book Living water: 300 drops of wisdom. Collection of the best Christian parables(A.N. Logunov, 2014) provided by our book partner - the company LitRes.
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On Gratitude and Trust in God
One great ascetic, performing divine services, saw angels next to him. But he was not strong in dogmas, and through the simplicity of his soul he learned from the heretics the rank of service, which he adhered to without realizing his mistake.
Once, a man in the rank of deacon, versed in dogmas, came to his service, and the elder celebrated the liturgy in his presence.
“Father, what you said during the sacrament does not agree with Orthodox faith but taken from heretics,” said the deacon after the service.
But the elder, who again saw the Angels during the service, did not pay attention to his words.
“You are mistaken, father, the Church does not accept this,” the deacon repeated.
After all these reproaches and denunciations, the elder, seeing the next day, as usual, the angels, asked them:
“That's what the deacon told me. Is it true?
“Listen to him, he speaks correctly,” the Angels told him.
"Why didn't you tell me this yourself?"
“God arranged it so that people would be corrected by people.
There lived a king, great and mighty. No one could compare with him either in strength or in health, but for some time now he felt an emptiness in his heart and the meaninglessness of his life. And he decided to go on a journey to find joy and consolation.
Once, at the end of a long day, the king stopped to rest in the shade of thick trees, next to the field, and suddenly he saw: one ox was lying on the field, another was harnessed, and a plowman nearby, right in the arable land, knelt down, raised his hands and exclaimed:
- Thank You, God, glory to You! The wanderer was surprised and asked the peasant:
What are you thanking God for?
“How can I not thank Him when I am a sinful person and deserve to die, and instead God takes away from me only one ox, which he gave me last year. Glory to Thee, God!
“But how are you going to plow this field now?” The king was even more surprised.
- Nothing, - the plowman's face lit up with a quiet smile, - the Lord will rule.
The king felt ashamed that he, living in abundance, did not know how to smile like this man, who trusted in God in everything.
Then he took some gold coins and gave them to the peasant.
“Take it and buy yourself a new ox. Today I have learned a lot from you and I am grateful to you.
“Did I not tell you, my lord, that God would not leave me!” exclaimed the plowman, looking at the gold. - Glory to You, God!
In joy, the king went home and, approaching, he saw from a distance that his palace was on fire.
- Thank You, God, glory to You! the king exclaimed, falling to his knees and raising his hands. – I was not grateful when You generously gave me, now I am doubly grateful for what You take away. The time has come for me to work for Your glory, I believe that you will not leave me!
And the king gained faith in God, and with it the meaning and joy of life. With a light heart, he began to build a new palace and did not forget to thank God every day for everything.
One official, leaving the office, looked at the palace of the emperor and thought: “What a pity that I was not born into a royal family, life could be so simple ...”, and went towards the city center, from where the rhythmic knock of a hammer and loud screams. Workers were building a new building on the square.
One of them saw an official with his papers and thought: “Oh, why didn’t I go to study, as my father told me, I could now do light work and rewrite texts all day, and life would be so simple ...”
And the emperor at that time went to a huge window in his palace and looked at the square. He saw workers, officials, sellers, buyers, children and adults, and thought about how good it must be to be in the open air all day, do manual labor, or work for someone, or even be a street bum and not think at all. about politics and other complex issues. - What, probably, simple life these ordinary people, he said in a barely audible voice.
Appeared to the Monk Job of Anzersk Mother of God and indicated the place where one should look for a source of water for the skete. When the found source was equipped and consecrated, the monk said to the brethren:
– Do not grieve, brothers, and do not be cowardly, but always trust in God. The Lord, by His omnipotent Word, brought forth springs of water from the abyss, sweet for all who live on earth, faithful and unfaithful; so will he leave us, His servants, and not nourish us? - With these words, he scooped up water and joyfully handed the cup to the brethren.
Someone complained to Elder Paisius Svyatogorets about his health and said that he had high blood pressure.
- Your pressure from constant internal restlessness. Go to the owner of the grocery store, buy good indifference from him,” the elder smiled good-naturedly, and then seriously continued: “Never try to solve everything yourself. Solve easy problems that you can handle, and leave the difficult ones to God, He will do it better.
One person had two cherries in front of the house. He often approached them, and they always asked him for something. One of them every time demanded: either “dig me in”, then “whiten me”, then “give me a drink”, then “remove excess moisture from me”, then “shield me from the hot sun”, then “give me more light” . And the other cherry always repeated the same request: "My lord, help me to bring a good harvest!"
The owner was equally merciful to both, looked after them, attentively listened to their requests and fulfilled all their desires. One cherry gave everything that she demanded, and the other - only what she considered necessary. How strong the trunk and branches of the first cherry shone! Its abundant foliage was dark green and spreading like a thick tent. While nothing remarkable could be said about the other.
When the harvest time came, the first cherry gave birth to small rare fruits, which could not ripen due to dense foliage, and the other brought many, very ripe and very tasty berries!
If God allows something to happen to us, then only what will later turn out to be good for us. Here is the story that Elder Paisios Svyatogorets told about himself.
One day I was returning from the village to the monastery and was in a hurry, for the sun was already setting, and I did not want to miss the usual evening time. prayer rule. And now, halfway down the road, I see a man with two mules loaded with firewood. One of the mules fell to one side, the other to the other. And the owner himself is in danger. He needed help. We took care of the mules and hauled wood up the path. It took twenty minutes. The man warmly thanked me: “Thank you a thousand times!” I quickened my pace again to catch up.
- You saved me! You saved me! - He shouted after me words of gratitude.
And having climbed the pass, I saw that about twenty minutes of walking ahead, huge stones were falling onto the path - pieces of rocks that had come off, as if fired from a sling. That is, if I had not stopped, I would have died, but God arranged it so that another person needed help - and I was saved. They also said “thank you a thousand times” to me!
In an instant, I understood all this and shouted from the top of the pass:
- You saved me! You saved me! Thank you
A certain person went to church from an early age, but in his youth, as often happens, he departed from the Lord, did not go to church for several years and did not pray to God. The Lord was pleased to bring him back into the bosom of the Orthodox Church in an unusual way.
One day the Baptists came to his house and left the Bible as they left. The young man began to read, and every word of the Gospel echoed in his soul with warmth and joy. Childish faith returned to his heart along with childhood memories.
When the sectarian came again to invite the young man to his assembly, he met another man who flatly refused to join the sect.
“We have more love for each other than the Orthodox,” the Baptist cited the usual argument.
“If this is so,” the young man answered him, “then why do you take communion not from one cup, as we do, but each from a separate one?”
And on the invitation to be baptized, he said firmly:
“I have already been baptized once.
Blinded young man. It was strange blindness. As soon as he lay down, his vision returned. He remained in bed for a long time, not daring to get up often, so as not to discover one day that his vision had completely left him. He became weak and emaciated. The family took good care of him. And one day the sick man cried out to the Lord to restore his health.
I will give myself to You, O God! he said.
And God restored his sight. The healed man remembered his promise and turned to the priest for advice on what kind of sacrifice he should offer to God. He advised him to take something as a gift to the monastery.
The man did just that. Bought oils, candles and went to famous monastery. On the way, he got lost and went to another monastery, small and little known. How happy the monks were! What he brought was just what they lacked in last days. They began a conversation with the abbot, and suddenly he asked:
Why don't you want to give yourself to God? Why don't you become a monk?
Exactly those words were uttered that the one who received his sight once said to God, praying for health and making a vow! It shook young man and he remained forever in the monastery.
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, while still in the rank of archimandrite, served the Liturgy in Tver. The hierarchal service was being performed, and when he, embarking on the proskomedia, turned to the hierarch:
“Remember me, Holy Lord!”
– May the Lord God remember your bishopric! - Vladyka suddenly responded, and when he caught himself, he added quietly: - May God grant that you become a bishop.
And on this day in the capital they chose a bishop for Voronezh, seven candidates had already been approved, and suddenly the metropolitan said:
- Let's include Archimandrite Tikhon from Tver.
Some were embarrassed by his youth, but still his candidacy became the eighth.
And what? Lots were drawn three times, and each time it was written on the piece of paper: "Archimandrite Tikhon."
So the Lord Himself indicated His chosen one, commemorating him as a bishop through the lips of the bishop, including him in the list of candidates by the timely thought of the metropolitan, and, finally, by drawing lots three times.
One peasant harvested a rich harvest of melons and rather quickly made good money for himself. He still had a small part of the crop left when melons fell sharply in price. He was very displeased.
“But you have already managed to make good money on them,” a familiar merchant once told him. - Thank God for that!
- I should be grateful not to God, but to my corns! - he got angry.
AT next year gourds grew small, with a fist. Having met by chance again with that merchant, the peasant began to complain to him about the crop failure. The merchant smiled and asked:
- Where, brother, were your calluses?
One man asked the wise man: “Why should I keep the commandments when there is no visible profit for me from it?”
“When you are sick, you call a doctor,” the elder answered, “and the doctor gives you medicine. Do you always understand why he gives you this and not another medicine? But you trust the doctor who treats your body and take the medicine. Why do you trust God less, who heals your soul?
A certain rich man, once calling his son, showed him his treasures and said:
“My son, look and choose for yourself what should I leave you after me: my wealth or my faith in God?”
“Earthly treasures are perishable,” answered the wise son, “leave your faith to me.”
After that, the father distributed all his possessions to the poor and soon died, and the son became poor and placed all his hope only in the Lord.
There was in the same city a rich and glorious, but pious man, and his wife was a match for him. When their only daughter had reached the age of the bride, the pious mother said to her husband:
- We have enough wealth, which means that we should look for our daughter's groom not rich, but meek and God-fearing, who would make her happy.
“You are right in your reasoning,” the husband replied, “and I think I leave the choice to God Himself. Let's go to the temple, pray fervently, and then, whom the Lord sends first to the church, let him be the husband of our daughter.
So they did, and the first to enter was a wise young man. The bride's parents began to ask who he was, where he came from. When the young man named his father, whom they knew well, and they heard that the young man was not married, they glorified God and exclaimed:
“Christ Himself chooses you as the husband of our daughter, take her and our property.
And the young man lived with his wife for a long time and happily in abundance and piety. Truly blessed is he who puts all his hope in God, seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven.
I wanted a certain person to participate in the construction of the temple. He went to the mountains, looked after a granite slab there, broke it, hewn it, polished it and decided to take it as a gift to the temple. He began to look for porters, but no one agreed to deliver such a huge stone to the temple for less than five altyns, and the man did not have that kind of money. But suddenly four peasants come up to him - small, frail - and say:
- So be it, we will carry your stone for half a Altyn, only you have to help us. We will put this stone on your back, and we ourselves will support it from four sides.
“Yes, this heavy slab will immediately crush me,” the man answered.
- Decide for yourself, but think about why you want to make a gift to the temple: to try for God or to show off in front of people.
The man thought and said: - For God I want to try.
He prayed and turned his back.
The peasants put a slab on his back, but for some reason it turned out to be lighter than a lung. They quickly reached the temple. A man turned around to pay off the peasants, and they disappeared.
It always happens like this: if you do a good deed for the glory of God, not only people, but also angels come to help.
There lived a man. One day he was going to go work in the vineyard and said to his wife:
Tomorrow morning I will go to the vineyard.
“If God wills, you will go,” the woman replied.
“Whether it is pleasing to God or not,” he replied, “but I will go anyway!”
The next morning, still dark, he left the house and went to his vineyard. But on the way, such a downpour poured that he had to hastily return home. When the man knocked on the door, it was not yet dawn.
- Who's there? the wife asked.
“If it pleases God,” he replied, “it is I, your husband.”
Once an old man said that a horse turning a mill wheel would eat the grain that was put there if it had not been blindfolded.
In the same way, the Lord often hides from us, out of His mercy, the good that we do. Otherwise, seeing our good deeds, we would consider ourselves better than we really are, and our pride would destroy the price of all good deeds.
A shipwreck survivor was abandoned by a wave onto a small deserted island. He was the only one left alive and now he constantly prayed that God would save him. Every day he peered at the horizon in search of a ship approaching to help.
Finally exhausted, the man decided to build a small hut of floating logs to protect himself from rain and wild animals.
But one day, returning home after a hike in search of food, he found his hut shrouded in flames: the ashes rose in a column to the sky. The most terrible thing was that all his supplies were lost, and he was left with nothing at all.
Now the man could not contain his despair and anger.
“God, how could You do this to me? - sobbing, he shouted.
Early the next morning, he was awakened by the horn of a ship approaching the shore. The ship came to save the unfortunate.
"But how did you know I was here?" the man asked the sailors.
“We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.
Remember, man, the next time your little hut burns to the ground, it could be a smoke signal sent by God to save you.
The Greek ascetic of the twentieth century, the elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit, possessed many gifts from God and could foresee the future of man. One day he shamed his spiritual child for the fact that he bathed in cold water and could die of a heart attack.
“Father, but you told me that I would live for many more years,” he objected. “How can you say now that yesterday I could have died?”
“What I told you is true,” the elder replied. – The lamp of your life has oil for many years. But if you drop it, the oil will spill and the lamp will go out. That is life! God gives us the precious gift of life; we accept it and are obliged to protect it, and not expose it to senseless dangers. Be careful with your lamp!
A man asked an old man if God would grant forgiveness to sinners. And the old man replied:
“Tell me, if you cut your hand or break your leg, will you cut them off and throw them away as unusable?”
The man replied:
- Well, I do not. I will treat them until I get better.
The elder concluded:
“If you care so much about your body, won’t God be merciful to His own image?”
Saint Theophan the Recluse said: “Everyone has his own cross, and for everyone only his cross is saved. Do not envy another, considering his cross to be lighter: no one can know the weight and heaviness of the cross, except for the one who bears it. It is certain that whatever cross you take, no one suits you, except yours.
A certain monk, exhausted under the weight of suffering, prayed to the Lord to change the cross, which seemed heavy to him. The Lord, having appeared to the crusader in a dream, offered him many crosses. But no matter what he put on himself, not one fell on him; only the last fell, and this was the very one that was assigned to him by the Lord.
One ascetic asked God: “Lord! Why do some people die young while others live to a ripe old age? Why are some poor and others rich? Why are the wicked rich and the godly poor? And I heard a voice from heaven:
- Take care of yourself! And these are the judgments of God, and it is of no use to you to delve into them.
Legend has it that in ancient times, swallows could not move to warmer climes for the winter. And when the snow fell and the frost hit, they suffered severely and perished. Seeing this, one merciful man took pity on them and began to do everything to teach the swallows to fly south.
He gave them signs - the swallows did not understand them, he beckoned them with food - it did not help, he frightened them and drove them south - in vain. Nothing worked for him. Then he began to pray to God that the Lord would turn him into a swallow. God fulfilled his desire and turned man into a swallow that could think and feel like a man. Then the bird-man easily communicated with the swallows and took them away in autumn to warmer climes. This is how swallows learned to fly south.
So Christ became a Man among people, so that they, chilled by earthly bitterness, could be led in a new way, to warm climes, to the Kingdom of God, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing.
One holy bishop explained the miracle that the Lord performed by feeding five thousand people with five loaves in this way:
“Imagine: a certain king came out of his palace and scattered gold coins in front of his subjects. The poor will rejoice that they have received gold, and those who love the king will be glad that they have seen his face. And the poor will again wait for the king to receive gold, and those who love - to look at his face again. Five thousand people, having had their fill of five loaves, were hungry again by morning, and the miracle of the Lord still feeds those who love the Lord and see the appearance of the Heavenly King in a miracle.
The monk complained to the elder: “It is not always easy to find out what your duty is.
“On the contrary, it’s very easy,” the elder replied. "That's what you least want to do."
The young monk asked the elder: “Father, should I now completely renounce the world?
“Don’t worry about it,” the elder answered, “if your life is really Christian, the world will immediately renounce you.
The peasant was walking along the road with his son. The son told something to his father and told him a lie. The peasant guessed that his son was deceiving him: - Now, son, we are approaching the bridge. This bridge is not simple, but magical - it falls under those who speak lies.
When the son heard this, he was frightened and confessed to his father that he had deceived him.
The peasant and his son stepped onto the bridge, and suddenly ... it collapsed.
“But I deceived you,” the peasant confessed to the boy when they got ashore. There are no magic bridges.
Sometimes our thoughtless words still do not lead to such consequences.
I had a dream that I went to heaven and an Angel appeared next to me to accompany me and show me everything that is there. We walked side by side until we came to a large hall, in which there were many angels. My Angel stopped and said:
This is the Receiving Department. Here we receive all the petitions and petitions to God that people express during their prayer.
I looked around, it was very noisy and busy, and there were many Angels around me who were sorting petitions - whole piles of papers written by people from all over the world - there were scrolls, sheets of paper and just little notes.
Then we walked along a long corridor until we came to the second section. And then the angel said to me:
“And here is the Shipping and Packaging Department. Here, the Grace of God that people asked for is distributed and sent to them. And I again noticed that it is very busy here. A huge number of Angels worked in this department, because people ask for so many things, and accordingly, a lot of things were being prepared to be sent to earth.
Finally, at the very end of a long corridor, we stopped in front of a door that led into a small room. To my great surprise, there was only one Angel sitting there, who obviously had nothing to do.
And this is the Appreciation Section,” my friend Angel said to me quietly, slightly embarrassed.
"How come there's no work here?" I asked.
"It's very sad," Angel sighed. - After people get everything they asked for, very few send Thanks.
- But how to send your Gratitude and a notification that you have received God's Grace? I asked.
"Very simple," replied the Angel. - Just say: Thank you Creator!
- And for what should people send their notifications in receiving God's Grace? I asked.
If you have food in the refrigerator and clothes on your body, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, then you are richer than 75% of the people in this world!
- If you have money in the bank, money in your wallet, and even a change in your piggy bank, then you have already entered the 8% of the wealthy people of this world!
- If you woke up this morning and felt healthy and not sick, then obviously you are happier than many who will not even survive today.
“If you have never experienced fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of hunger… then you have absolutely surpassed 700 million people in this world.
- If you come to your church and can pray there, without fear of persecution, arrest, death torture, then you are in an enviable position compared to many people in this world.
“If your parents are still alive and still married… then you are a very rare person.
- If you can walk with your head held high and smile, then you are not normal, you are unique to all those who are in doubt and in despair ...
- And if you received this message, then you got into 1% of people in the world who are given a chance.
- Okay, now what? How can I start?
- If you are reading this message, then you can already thank for the fact that you have the opportunity to read, since many people in the world cannot read at all ...
In a certain city there lived a very rich and arrogant man. He was single, did not communicate with relatives, despised his neighbors and often ridiculed them in the circle of his friends, gentlemen as important as himself. However, he did not even like his friends, and often reproached heaven for the fact that he had to be not the richest, not the most famous and not the most revered person in the city.
The Lord was tired of listening to the envious complaints and groans of this man, that when he let all his fortune go to the wind, he did not even want to extend his helping hand to him. When curses were poured from the lips of the ruined man against God and the Forces of Heaven, an accident occurred - lightning struck his house (all that he had left), and it burned to the ground.
The man wept bitterly and wandered off to seek refuge with his friends. However, none of them accepted it. And some, grimacing in disgust, only mocked the grief of yesterday's friend. At night, hungry, tired and cold, in desperation he knocked on the window of a neighbor - a poor widow with two small children. She did not hold a grudge against him and wholeheartedly offered him shelter and food.
In the morning this man knelt in the temple and, bursting into tears, asked the Lord for forgiveness for his stupidity and pride. The kindness and generosity of the once despised commoner deeply touched his soul. He prayed: “Forgive me, Lord, for not appreciating Your gifts and not thanking You for Your mercy.”
Soon he made peace with his relatives and they helped him build little house. So he began to live in peace and harmony with everyone.
Several years have passed. The poor widow, who took him in during the most difficult days of his life, died, and her children remained complete orphans. They knocked on his door and asked to be taken in. The man sympathized with them, but refused:
My house is tiny. Knock on the door of those who are richer. I'm used to living alone...
The orphans left, grieving. And in the morning the man could not get out of bed - an unknown disease chained him to her. The man wept bitterly and cried out to God in despair:
Again I have angered You by paying for my stupidity with my health. Why are you punishing me so severely?
The Lord bitterly answered him:
Because you do not know how to be wise without suffering and grief.
The man understood everything. He begged forgiveness from the poor orphans, and they gladly entered his house and helped him overcome his illness. Then the man thanked the Lord for mercy for the second time. From now on, every moment he rejoiced at the presence of loved ones and their voices, echoing in his heart with an echo of inexpressible happiness.
Once, when he was sitting in the yard, having fun with his grandchildren, his former important friends passed by the house. They recognized him and began to make fun of his small house, poor clothes and his games with children. And he only raised his eyes to Heaven and thanked God.
PARABLE OF GRATITUDE. I had a dream that I went to heaven and an Angel appeared next to me to accompany me and show me everything that is there. We walked side by side until we came to a large hall, in which there were many angels. My Angel stopped and said: - This is the Receiving Department. Here we receive all the petitions and petitions to God that people express during their prayer. I looked around, it was very noisy and busy, and there were many Angels around me who were sorting petitions - whole piles of papers written by people from all over the world - there were scrolls, sheets of paper and just little notes. Then we walked along a long corridor until we came to the second section. And then the Angel said to me: - And here is the Delivery and Packing Department. Here, the Grace of God that people asked for is distributed and sent to them. And I again noticed that it is very busy here. A huge number of Angels worked in this department, because people ask for so many things, and accordingly, a lot of things were being prepared to be sent to earth. Finally, at the very end of a long corridor, we stopped in front of a door that led into a tiny room. To my great surprise, there was only one Angel sitting there, who obviously had nothing to do. “And this is the Appreciation Section,” my friend Angel said to me quietly, slightly embarrassed. "How come there's no work here?" I asked. "It's very sad," Angel sighed. - After people get everything they asked for, very few send Thanks. - But how to send your Gratitude and a notification that you have received God's Grace? I asked. "Very simple," replied the Angel. - Just say: Thank you, Lord! - And for what should people send their notifications in receiving God's Grace? I asked. - If you have food in the refrigerator and clothes on your body, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, then you are richer than 75% of the people in this world! - If you have money in the bank, money in your wallet, and even a change in your piggy bank, then you have already entered the 8% of the wealthy people of this world! - If you woke up this morning and felt healthy and not sick, then obviously you are happier than many who will not even survive today. “If you have never experienced fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of hunger… then you have absolutely surpassed 700 million people in this world. - If you come to your church and can pray there, without fear of persecution, arrest, death torture, then you are in an enviable position compared to many people in this world. “If your parents are still alive and still married… then you are a very rare person. - If you can walk with your head held high and smile, then you do not correspond to the norm, you are unique for all those who are in doubt and in despair ... - And if you received this message, then you are in the 1% of people in the world, who gets the chance. - Okay, now what? How can I start? - If you are reading this message, then you can already thank for the fact that you have the opportunity to read, since many people in the world cannot read at all ... THANKS TO LYUDMILA KOZYREVA FOR THIS POST.
27 March 2012Gratitude
let's talk about thanks. There is a popular proverb: "Debt in payment is red." Each of us, at least once in our lives, but provided assistance, and received in return.
It doesn't matter what form the gratitude takes. The main thing is that it must come from the heart. I think that one should not confuse real gratitude with modern “gratitude”. Now they say: “I will thank you”, “we must thank you”, “my gratitude will know no bounds”, etc.
Unfortunately, this is forced, and rather refers to a bribe or corruption. Such gratitude corrupts people, makes them greedy. greedy, evil.
The real one makes a person cleaner, kinder, more beautiful. True gratitude comes from the depths, passing through the heart. Let's be truly grateful to God, ourselves, life, relatives and friends, the world around us. Love and goodness to you!
Parable of Gratitude
One windy evening, a dry leaf on which an ant was sitting was torn off and fell into the river. The ant's tiny heart cried out to God for help. God prompted a kite flying over the river, descended to the water and picked up a leaf with its beak, suggesting to him that it was a fish or a frog. And although the bird was very disappointed, the ant was incredibly glad that he was on solid ground.
“God turned into a bird and saved me,” he thought, and decided that he should thank this kite and all the other birds.
One day, during his morning run, he saw a hunter aim an arrow at a bird. Remembering how once a bird saved his life, the ant bit the hunter on the heel. The archer's hand trembled, and the arrow flew off target.
Everything in the world is interconnected. and even an ant is ready to repay his debt.
People may forgive you for the good you have done for them, but they rarely forget the wrong they have done to you. (Somerset Maugham)
Reviews (20) for "Gratitude"
- hopedapol
March 27, 2012 at 08:18 pmGratitude - from thank you! To everyone and everything!
Thank you! - Alla
March 28, 2012 at 8:24 amYes, gratitude makes people more responsive, the main thing here is sincerity! And the story is right! Good is most often forgotten, and evil in the memory settles as an insult for a long time, although it would be better to forget it ....
- Vitaly
March 28, 2012 at 9:23 amNadya, as always, you are right and accurate!
- Vitaly
March 28, 2012 at 9:24 amAllah agree! Thank you!
- Aksana
March 28, 2012 at 9:42 amUnfortunately, people are vindictive, and they cannot forgive even involuntary evil for a very long time.
- Oksana
March 29, 2012 at 6:43 amThe words of Somerset Maugham very well show the essence of a person ... Unfortunately, a person is just like that
- Vitaly
March 29, 2012 at 8:48 amPerhaps you are right Oksana! But still a person strives to be better!
- Airat
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- Irina
March 30, 2012 at 10:54 amThe ability to give thanks is one of the most important qualities. But from the heart! Indeed, everything in the world is interconnected.
- Vitaly
30 March 2012 at 16:50I agree with you Irina!
- Mrs. interesting
March 30, 2012 at 05:10 pmIf you do good, it is better never to count on gratitude.
Otherwise, you will live with the thought that everyone around you is not grateful, and good deeds do not make sense. - Vitaly
30 March 2012 at 17:20Can't argue with you!
- Alla
31 March 2012 at 12:23We just have to remember to thank the universe for everything we have. And we have a lot.
- Vitaly
March 31, 2012 at 03:01 pmGod's golden words!
- Andrew
March 31, 2012 at 05:41 pmGratitude is a simple thing, but there is so much behind it..
- Vitaly
March 31, 2012 at 05:58 pmAndrew! You got the point exactly! Thank you!
- Anatoly
31 March 2012 at 23:07And you need to do good, and thank you from the bottom of your heart!
- Vitaly
01 Apr 2012 at 13:26I agree with you Anatoly!
- Vitaly
April 03, 2012 at 21:04Yes, Aksana, there is such a sin!
- Vitaly
April 03, 2012 at 21:1222.12.2020Psychosomatics (diseases from emotions)The most interesting:
