Once, there was a vagabond preacher who went from place to place preaching the Word of God. His only source of income was the voluntary contribution of the congregation he preached to.
One day, after preaching vehemently for one hour, he passed around his hat among the packed benches. After it had made the rounds, the hat was returned to the pulpit. The preacher stole a look into it and found it to be empty. Not a penny was there inside. Then he raised his hands to the Heaven and said, Brethren, Let us thank the Lord that this
hat came back to the altar safely from the congregation.
We could afford to buy the best bed, but we cannot buy a peaceful sleep. God can bless us with peace of mind, which in turn can give us peaceful sleep. God has blessed us with umpteen number of blessings, like peace, joy, goodness etc. Those blessings are ours; we should claim them. The way to claim them is by praising and blessing God.
My dear Friends, when we praise the Lord, we speak the language of the angels and saints; when we praise the Lord, we are in their company.
If we appreciate God, we will not depreciate in Time.
Fr. Joseph