Happily Ever After: life is like a pencil

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</span> </b> </span>   <span style="font-size: 14pt;">I’ll keep it short today.</span> <br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I read this analogy somewhere, written by a very prolific, famous guy (Mr. Anonymous), so this isn’t an original idea.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">However, I rearranged it completely and added my own thoughts. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In other words, I <i>perfected</i> it.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Says  who? Two brilliant people: My mother and my wife. And don’t even try to  disagree with them.  Trust me. It won’t work. I’ve learned the hard  way.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Okay, back to my topic. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Here are the five things that are common between you and a pencil…</span></div><div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt;">1. A Pencil Has Purpose</span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">God  made a pencil to make its mark in this world. Early on, it must  establish its purpose—it’s not a backscratcher, or a toy that you twirl  around your finger, or a can opener, or (sorry for the grossness) an ear  cleaner…</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2SquI1HudLjaBouwCnnFx8gDn4RPOETc43Vu61JZ08TwcaOYn9_KJ08vP1rbM_u6WrN_PruLyvlhMVaZfUFCOe9Gp6ZG3mV2K-_Ac9DhAdfpRifRF7MNigfxXewyMcJiAsh29STJ8Fjs/s1600/pencil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2SquI1HudLjaBouwCnnFx8gDn4RPOETc43Vu61JZ08TwcaOYn9_KJ08vP1rbM_u6WrN_PruLyvlhMVaZfUFCOe9Gp6ZG3mV2K-_Ac9DhAdfpRifRF7MNigfxXewyMcJiAsh29STJ8Fjs/s320/pencil.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 14pt;">        If a pencil diverts its purpose, it will destroy its very existence. It  you use it for something else, it will endanger its life. The pencil  gets broken and you won’t be able to write anymore.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">        In the same way, you need to establish your purpose. You can’t be  distracted, or you endanger your very existence. You must be focused on  one thing. What is your one thing?</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">       I  don’t know about you, but I like to be with people of purpose. Who know  their one thing. Because they are focused on one thing, they are  excellent people. They move with direction.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">       I ask you again: What’s your one thing?</span></div><div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt;">2. A Pencil Has Priority</span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The  inside of a pencil is more important than the outside of the  pencil. Because the insides are connected to its purpose. On the  outside, it could be have dirt, have bite marks, have chipped paint, but  that doesn’t matter as long as its insides are working.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">       Like the pencil, your purpose is connected to what’s inside you, not what’s outside you. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">What  am I saying? Your money or your house or your car or your watch or your  cell phone won’t make you happy. It’s what’s inside you that will make  you happy.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">        The Divine imprint is in you. Inside you is the image and likeness of  God. The Bible says “Christ dwells in you.” (Colossians 1:27) and that  you are the “Temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 3:16).</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">       Value what’s in you more than what’s outside you!</span></div><div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt;">3. A Pencil Needs Pain</span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A  pencil has to go through painful sharpening if it’s to be useful. If it  doesn’t go through pain, it won’t be able to fulfill its purpose.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In  the same way, you need to prepare yourself to go through painful  sharpening—if you want God to use you. You will go through trials to  test you, teach you, and train you to be better than you were before.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Look back into your life.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">There  must be a reason why you went through what you went through. There’s a  reason why you went through that molestation, that separation, that  abortion, that deprivation, isolation, that temptation, that purgation,  that tribulation…</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I  was molested as a child. I will not wish it on my worst enemy. Yet I am  able to speak words of healing today because of the pain that I went  through.</span></div><div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt;">4. A Pencil Needs Perseverance</span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">If  it makes a mistake, the pencil doesn’t give up. Why? Because it knows  it has an eraser. The pencil simply erases its mistakes, and moves  on. It doesn’t beat itself and condemn itself and say, “Oh, I’m so  terrible. Why did I make a mistake? I’m a total failure.” No such  words. When it makes a mistake, it simply erases and moves on.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">        In the same way, when you make a mistake, God gave you an eraser. It’s  the most powerful eraser in the world. It’s called forgiveness. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">God forgives you. And asks you to forgive yourself. And asks you to forgive others. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Use your eraser everyday!</span></div><div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt;">5. A Pencil Needs Power</span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A  pencil left by itself cannot fulfill its purpose. Because its power  doesn’t come from itself but from the hand that holds it. For the pencil  to make its mark in the world, it needs to allow someone’s hand to hold  it. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In the same way, you need to allow God’s hand to hold you so you can fulfill your sacred purpose.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Are you allowing God’s hand to hold you, direct you, and use you now?</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">       Friend, let God hold you now.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">       May your dreams come true,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">-       Bo Sanchez</span></b></div>

Bro. Bo Sanchez Inspiring Version of The Parable of the Pencil

I’ll keep it short today. I read this analogy somewhere, written by a very prolific, famous guy (Mr. Anonymous), so this isn’t an o...

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