‘Look outside of the box’ I would always hear this expression and thought I fully understood what it meant until I read this inspiring story which gave me more insight on how to deal successfully with life. The soldier in the story could have easily chosen to dwell in the misery brought about by war. He may have looked at the deck of cards and feel sorry he can’t use it to play with his loved ones. What he saw in the deck of cards not only made him grateful but more importantly made him hopeful of the future ahead.
True, Life is not always a bed of roses. Just like a wheel, we journey through life with its ups and downs. Jesus did not promise a life without trial but He did promise to be with us every step of the way. Rather than looking at problems as a burden, why not look at it as a challenge and imagine yourself winning. There are always 2 sides in every situation but habit tells you to look at what is negative - the black dot on the massive white paper.
I dare you today to look outside of the box. Forget what is obvious, most of the time these are things you can’t change. Be creative, view another perspective, and open yourself to the positive side. Believe me, there’s always a blessing in disguise.
I will never look at a deck of cards the same again… will you?
Deck of Cards
It was quiet that day, the guns and the mortars, and land mines for some reason hadn't been heard.
The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week.
As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.
Just then an army sergeant came in and said, 'Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?'
The soldier replied, 'I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord.'
The sergeant said, 'Looks to me like you're going to play cards.'
The soldier said, 'No, sir. You see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country,
I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards.'
The sergeant asked in disbelief, 'How will you do that?'
'You see the Ace, Sergeant? It reminds me that there is only one God
The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and New Testaments
The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.
The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John .
The Five is for the five virgins there were ten but only five of them were glorified.
The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth.The Seven is for the day God rested after making His Creation.
The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives -- the eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the Earth.
The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him.
The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone.
The Jack is a reminder of Satan, one of God's first angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell.
The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary.
The King stands for Jesus, for he is the King of all kings.
When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year..
There are a total of 52 cards in a deck; each is a week - 52 weeks in a year.
The four suits represent the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
Each suit has thirteen cards -- there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter.
So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for.'
The sergeant just stood there. After a minute, with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart, he said, 'Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?'
This story is offered to all servicemen and women all around the world. Let us stop and say a small prayer for them and their families. Of all the gifts you could give a Soldier, prayer is the very best one.
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