FW: The Cup of Life
Ichiro Terao
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Subject: FW: The Cup of Life
A king wanted to test the wisdom of two of the wisest men in his court.
Two men were given a silver goblet, each containing equal portions of
crystal clear spring water. Each was asked what he saw in the cup. The
first man looked and said he saw a half-empty goblet. The second man
replied, "My cup is half full." The men were then asked to drink the
contents of the cup and relay how drinking the liquid made them feel. The
first man complained that the water tasted fine, but there was not
enough, he wanted more. The second man then took his turn. "The water
tastes good and it has quenched my thirst."
The king smiled and, finally, declared who was the wisest man in all his
court. "It is you," he said, turning to the second man. Now I will tell
you why. Looking to the first man, he said,"The cup represents one's
life, the world in
which you live. When you looked into the cup, what you saw was a cup half
empty, even though the goblet contained the finest spring water in all the
land. Instead of sipping and finding satisfaction in its contents, you
desired more. In life, you will never see all your many blessings, for
your greed and lust for more will always cloud your thinking."
The king then turned to the second man. "When you looked into the cup you
saw a cup half full. So, too, will you regard life in this way, reaping
all its many blessings and being grateful for the gifts bestowed upon you.
A half full cup is not a full cup, yet its contents can still be sweet
and satisfying."
The moral of this story is that life is not always perfect, yet how we
view our cup will determine what mind frame we have when sipping of its
contents.
How many people do you know who feel discontentment in their life?
Someone ELSE has the perfect car, job, spouse, or girlfriend, and a
generally much more exciting life. Yet, chances are they think YOUR life
is better and that it is YOU with the perfect spouse, home, job, etc.
Man, in all his fleshly desires, always wants more. Often this desire for
more gets us into trouble, and sometimes we find ourselves losing the very
precious things we thought we never had in the first place.
Today, look at your life with new eyes and begin to see the cup half full
as opposed to half empty. Do you have food, shelter, clothing? Be thankful,
for there are those in impoverished countries who don't even have these
basic necessities. Do you have your health, friends, and loved ones who
truly care about you? Be grateful, for there are those who lay in hospital
beds, suffering and dying with no loved ones to visit and hold their
hand. Lastly, do you have God in your life? Then you are among the richest
in the world! If not, it is not too late for Him to fill YOUR cup with
His great love and manifold blessings!