There was some feedback from some listeners that wanted to re-read this poem. I decided to post it here so that anyone could take another look.
The Fern and the Bamboo–Author Unknown
“One day I decided to quit…. I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality.
I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
‘God,’ I said. ‘Can you give me one good reason not to quit?’
His answer surprised me…
‘Look around,’ He said. ‘Do you see the fern and the bamboo?’
‘Yes,’ I replied.
‘When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit on the bamboo.
‘In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.’
He said, ‘In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit.’
He said. ‘Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.’
He said to me. ‘Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don’t compare yourself to others.’
He said, ‘The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern, yet, they both make the forest beautiful.’Your time will come,’ God said to me. ‘You will rise high!’
‘How high should I rise?’ I asked.
‘How high will the bamboo rise? He asked in return.
‘As high as it can?’ I questioned.
‘Yes,’ He said, ‘Give me glory by rising as high as you can.’
I left the forest and brought back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you…….
Never regret a day in your life.
Good days give you Happiness.
Bad days give you Experiences.
Both are essential to life.
Keep going…
Happiness keeps you Sweet, Trials keep you Strong, Sorrows keep you Human, Failures keep you Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing. But Only God keeps You Going!
Have a great day!
God is so big He can cover the whole world with His Love and so small………
He can curl up inside your heart!”
This is a quote from Lewis Timberlake from Timberlake Monthly, and featured in the Points to Ponder column of the May 1997 issue of the Reader’s Digest
“While on a tour of California’s giant sequoias, the guide pointed out that the sequoia tree has roots just barely below the surface of the earth.
‘That’s impossible,’ I exclaimed. ‘I’m a country boy and I know that if the roots didn’t grow deep, strong winds will blow the trees over.’
‘Not sequoia trees,’ said the guide. ‘They grow only in groves, and their roots intertwine under the surface of the earth. So, when the strong winds come, they hold each other up.’
There’s a lesson here. In a sense, people are like giant sequoias. Family, friends, neighbours, the church body and other groups should be havens so that when the strong winds of life blow, these people can serve as reinforcement and can strive together to hold each other up.”
This is an excerpt from something called There I Grow Again–Author Unknown,and posted on the internet at a site that posts inspirational stories and poetry.
“Maybe you have seen the Great Barrier Reef, stretching 1,800 miles from New Guinea to Australia. Tour guides regularly take visitors to view the reef.
On one tour, the guide was asked an interesting question.
‘I notice that the lagoon side of the reef looks pale and lifeless, while the ocean side is vibrant and colorful,’ a traveler observed. ‘Why is this?’
The guide gave an interesting answer. ‘The coral around the lagoon side is in still water with no challenge for its survival. It dies early. The coral on the ocean side is constantly being tested by wind, waves, storms–surges of power. It has to fight for survival every day of its life. As it is challenged and tested, it changes and adapts. It grows healthy. It grows strong. And, it reproduces.’
Then he added this telling note: ‘That’s the way it is with every living organism.’
That is how it is with people. Challenged and tested, we come alive. Like coral pounded by the sea, we grow. Physical demands can cause us to grow stronger. Mental and emotional stress can produce tough-mindedness and resiliency. Spiritual testing can produce strength of character and faithfulness.
So you have problems–no problem. Just tell yourself, ‘There I grow again.’”
–Author Unknown
This is called Neeeding Others. Again, it’s author is unknown, and was posted on the internet once at a site that posted inspirational stories and poetry.
“Many living things need each other to survive.
If you have ever seen a Colorado aspen tree, you may have noticed that it does not grow alone. Aspens are found in clusters or groves. The reason is that the Aspen sends up new shoots from the roots. In a small grove, all of the trees may actually be connected by their roots!
Giant California redwood trees may tower 300 feet into the sky. It would seem that they would require extremely deep roots to anchor them against strong winds. But we’re told that their roots are actually quite shallow in order to capture as much surface water as possible. And they spread in all directions, intertwining with other redwoods.
Locked together in this way, all the trees support each other in wind and storms. Like the aspen, they never stand alone. They need one another to survive.
People, too, are connected by a system of roots.
We are born to family and learn early to make friends. We are not meant to survive long without others.
And like the redwood, we need to hold one another up. When pounded by the sometimes vicious storms of life, we need others to support and sustain us.
Have you been going it alone? Maybe it’s time to let someone else help hold you up for awhile.
Or perhaps someone needs to hang on to you?”
Here’s another from last night’s show..
This story is called “The Tree”, that was once posted on the internet at a web site that posted inspirational stories. It is Author Unknown. If you ever do find out who wrote it, again, please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is due. If this is not what you heard me air, please get back to me so that I can find the one you were interested in.
The Tree-Author Unknown
“‘How can I do what you say,’ asked the child, ‘and still be me?’
‘Look at me,’ said the tree. ‘I bend in the wind, droop in the rain. Yet I always remain myself, a tree.’
‘Look at me,’ said the man. ‘I can’t change.’
‘Look at me,’ said the tree. ‘I change every season from green to brown to green again, from bud to flower to fallen leaf. Yet I always remain myself, a tree.’
‘I can’t love anymore,’ said the woman. ‘With my love, I have given away all that I am.’
‘Look at me,’ said the tree. ‘There are robins in my branches, owls in my trunk, moss and ladybugs living on my bark. They may take what I have, but not what I am.’
Whether we know it or not, we are like the tree. Only our pride hangs on to a false sense of self, wanting to keep everything, refusing to follow advice or spiritual direction.
What we do doesn’t matter; how we do it is what counts. Change and growth is as natural as the sun coming up every morning and the setting of it every night. Go with what is inside and listen to what your heart tells you. Why not if even for just today, reach out once more to a place that exists outside yourself without fear or judgment for yourself or from others…just once more.
’We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.’
–Plato”
–Author Unknown.
The story you shared about the fern and the bamboo made me pause and reflect much longer than I usually do when listening to your radio program. Quitting sometimes feels liberating, especially when the struggle has been exhausting. They say God speaks to us in strange ways. That night, He spoke to me through you.
Thank you.
- Eloisa