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The Sweet Song of the Second Fiddle By Max Lucado FOR THOUSANDS of years, the relationship had been perfect. As far back as any one could remember, the moon had faithfully reflected the sun's rays into the dark night. It was the greatest duo in the universe. Other stars and planets marveled at the reliability of the team. Generation after generation of earthlings were captivated by the reflection. The moon became the symbol of romance, high hopes, and even nursery rhymes. "Shine on, harvest moon," the people would sing. And he did. Well, in a way he did. You see, the moon didn't actually shine. He reflected. He took the light given to him by the sun and redirected it toward the earth. A simple task of receiving illumination and sharing it. You would think such a combo would last forever. It almost did. But one day, a nearby star planted a thought in the moon's core. "It must be tough being a moon," the star suggested. "What do you mean? I love it! I've got an important job to do. When it gets dark, people look to me for help. And I look to the sun. He gives me what need and I give the people what they need. People depend on me to light up their world. And I depend on the sun." "So, you and the sun must be pretty tight." "Tight? Why, we are like Huntley and Brinkley, Hope and Crosby, Benny and Day..." "Or maybe Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy?" "Who?" "You know, the man and the dummy." "Well, I don't know about the dummy part." "That's exactly what I mean. You are the dummy. You don't have any light of your own. You depend on the sun. You're the sidekick. You don't have any name for yourself." "Name for yourself?" "Yeah, you've been playing second fiddle for too long. You need to step out on your own." "What do you mean?" "I mean stop reflecting and start generating. Do your own thing. Be your own boss. Get people to see you for who you really are." "Who am I?" "Well, you are, uh, well, uh, well, that's what you need to find out. You need to find out who you are." The moon paused and thought for a moment. What the star said made sense. Though he had never considered it, the moon was suddenly aware of all the inequities of the relationship. Why should he have to work the night shift all the time? And why should he be the one the astronauts stepped on first? And why should he always be accused of making waves? And why don't the dogs and wolves howl at the sun for a change? And why should it be such an outrage to "moon" while "sunning" is an accepted practice? "You are right!" asserted the moon. "It's high time we had a solar-lunar equity up here." "Now you're talking," prodded the star. "Go discover the real moon!" Such was the beginning of the breakup. Rather than turning his attention toward the sun, the moon began turning his attention toward himself. He set out on the course of self-enhancement. After all, his complexion was a disgrace, so full of craters and all. His wardrobe was sadly limited to three sizes; full-length, half-cast, and quarter-clad. And his coloring was an anemic yellow. So, girded with determination, he set out to reach for the moon. He ordered glacier packs for his complexion. He changed his appearance to include new shapes such as triangular and square. And for coloring he opted for a punk-rock orange. "No one is going to call me cheese-face anymore." The new moon was slimmed down and shaped up. His surface was a s smooth as a baby's bottom. Everything was fine for a while. Initially, his new look left him basking in his own moonlight. Passing meteors would pause and visit. Distant stars would call and compliment. Fellow moons would invite him over to their orbits to watch "As the World Turns." He had friends. He had fame. He didn't need the sun_until the trends changed. Suddenly "punk" was out and "prep" was in. The compliments stopped and the giggles began as the moon was slow to realize that he was out of style. Just as he finally caught on and had his orange changed to pinstripe, the style went to "country." It was painful poking of the rhinestones into his surface that caused him to finally ask himself, "What's this all for anyway? You're on the cover of the magazine one day and forgotten the next. Living off the praise of others is an erratic diet." For the first time since he'd begun his campaign to find himself, the moon thought of the sun. He remembered the good ol' millenniums when praise was not a concern. What people thought of him was immaterial since he wasn't in the business of getting people to look at himself. Any praise that came his way was quickly passed on to the boss. The sun's plan was beginning to dawn on the moon. "He may have been doing me a favor." He looked down upon the earth. The earthlings had been getting quite a show. They never knew what to expect: first punk, then preppie, now country. Odds-makers in Las Vegas were making bets as to whether the next style would be chic or macho. Rather than be the light of their world he was the butt of their jokes. Even the cow refused to jump over him. But it was the cold that bothered him the most. Absence from the sunlight left him with a persistent chill. No warmth. No glow. His full-length overcoat didn't help. It couldn't help; the shiver was from the inside, an icy shiver from deep within his core that left him feeling cold and alone. Which is exactly what he was. One night as he looked down upon the people walking in the dark, he was struck by the futility of it all. He thought of the sun. He gave me everything I needed. I served a purpose. I was warm. I was content. I was...I was what I was made to be. Suddenly, he felt the old familiar warmth. He turned and there was the sun. The sun had never moved. "I'm glad you're back," the sun said. "Let's get back to work." "You bet!" agreed the moon. The coat came off. The roundness returned, and a light was seen in the dark sky. A light even fuller was seen in the dark sky. A light even brighter. And to this day whenever the sun shines and the moon reflects and the darkness is illuminated, the moon doesn't complain or get jealous. He does what he was intended to do all along. The moon beams. Max Lucado With more than 40 million books in print, Max Lucado has touched millions with his signature storytelling writing style. Awards and accolades follow Max with each book he writes. Max is the first author to win the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year three times -- 1999 for Just Like Jesus, 1997 for In the Grip of Grace and 1995 for When God Whispers Your Name. Max serves as the pulpit minister of the Oak Hills Church of Christ in San Antonio, Texas. But he says his greatest accomplishment is finding a one-in-a-million wife in Denalyn and having three unbelievable daughters: Jenna, Andrea, and Sara. You can visit his web site at: http://www.maxlucado.com ______________________________________ Creation Q & A Q: Aren't the days of Genesis 1 just an issue of language? The word "day" as used in Genesis 1, according to the rules of the Hebrew language, means an ordinary day in that particular context. Yet even though most theologians agree that the word "day" in Genesis 1 means a 24-hour day, many say it can't mean that because the universe is obviously billions of years old. By doing this, they are actually saying that the fallible dating methods of fallible man are more important than the actual words of the Bible that God inspired people to write. Thus they're making man the authority--not God. Yes, this is an authority issue. The Word of God should be read as written and used to judge the fallible words of man--not the other way round! Source: AnswersinGenesis.org
This new addition to our web site will give you an article on the leading news in the Creation/Evolution controversy each day. http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Creation_News This section also includes a rotating Question and Answer feature and a weekly Creation Comic strip from the people at AnswersInGenesis.org Be sure to come back and visit each day for an informative article that will help you keep up to date on the latest news in this controversial area! Thought For The Day "Patience serves as protection against wrongs as cloths do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will be powerless to vex you." --Leonardo da Vinci
"But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." --James 1:4
"No matter what people tell you, February is the longest month."
An effective guilt tactic is suddenly to yell out, 'I see you!' when your children are in a different room. --Bill Dodds
"We never understand a thing so well, and make it for our own, as when we have discovered it for ourselves."
"Writing a novel is so much easier than writing nonfiction pieces or short stories. It's like being in a womb for nine months because it's warm and comfortable and it's just 'you.' No one else around to bother you or tell you what to do or tell you what you should be doing different. And the best part? So long as you haven't promised the book to anyone or are under contract, you can take as long as you like to finish the book." --Margaret Steck
"The survival of several wild bird species is depending on burned toast." _____________________________________
Inspired Audio is a brand new offshoot of HeartTouchers.com. Every week we will offer a different audio message that you can listen to right on your comput as you are surfing the net or just getting things done around the house. Be sure to come back and visit each week!
Over 100,000 people have listened to popular Chicken Soup Author Michael T. Powers' free inspirational message entitled: "Breathing Life into Others". If you aren't one of them just visit: http://www.HeartTouchers.com and click on the link to listen to the free streaming audio message! ____________________________________________ http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery
"I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for the beautiful video you made for me! It was so special to see both of my parents in tears as they watched their children grow up in pictures before their eyes! I loved the way you made Estania's part set aside from the rest--that was the part that really got them! The music was beautiful. My mom kept blubbering, "What song is that?" I don't know how you did such a beautiful job with the video in such a short time. I really appreciate your doing it so quickly. You have a wonderful gift, and I thank God that you are using it to create such sentimental memories. I hope that I can find my niche like that in an area that I love. Your video gave us one of our most lasting Christmas memories! I hope yours was filled with moments to be treasured forever!" Let me make you a video from your photos! http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery ____________________________________________ Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you? |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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