Stories from Heaven's Library - Vol. 6
For Young and Old
Featuring:
The Lily and the Garden
Scrappy the Cat
The Empty Box
A Little Drop of Troy
THE LILY AND THE GARDEN
-- As told from Beyond by Hans Christian Andersen
Once upon a time, in a pretty little garden there lived a little lily. Lily was fair and beautiful, white as snow. She lived by Cool Pond. Pond would give of himself to quench her thirst, make her happy and help her to grow. Cool Pond loved little Lily, for she cheered his heart with her pretty white petals.
Green Grass grew all around little Lily, keeping her warm and comforted. Green Grass loved Lily, too, and liked to protect her and keep her roots covered so that she could receive nourishment from Warm Earth, who was also Lily's friend.
Earth fed Lily day by day of the nutrients and nourishment that was within her, and so Lily grew big and strong among her friends.--Cool Pond gave her drink, sweet Warm Earth fed her, and comforting Green Grass protected her. Gentle Wind kissed Lily's face and helped her to be supple and to bend and to give and not to break. He was tender, and loved little Lily also.
Lily loved her friends and smiled on them each day. Sometimes raindrops would visit and wash Lily's white petals, refresh Warm Earth and strengthen Green Grass. They lived in a happy garden, in harmony and joy with sweet love and friendship between them.
One day as Gentle Wind blew, he picked up a seed which fell right beside sweet Lily, right into Warm Earth. The friends decided, "We'll let it grow and see what happens."
So Pond gave of his cool refreshing water to give the seed to drink, Earth kept him warm and covered, and Grass protected him all around. Lily looked on, happy that her friends could help to care for the helpless little seed.
Little by little, up grew the seed. But this seed was not a very happy seed. He grumbled that Pond gave him too much water. He muttered at Earth, saying, "You cover me too much!" He complained to Grass, "You poke me! I want more sunshine, I don't like you here!" And he looked up at Lily and said, "I want to grow taller than you and bigger than you and more beautiful than you!" And on and on this little seed muttered and sputtered.
Up, up, up he grew, nurtured and nourished by his friends. But the bigger he grew, the easier it became to see that he was not beautiful like Lily. In fact, he was a Weed--and an ugly Weed at that!
Lily and her friends were not very happy with this ugly pestering Weed, complaining about Gentle Wind, not happy with Cool Pond, and seemingly not satisfied with anything or anyone.
But what could they do? Pond had a plan. "I will flow unto you, Warm Earth, until my waters soften the ground under Weed. Maybe Gentle Wind will blow and Green Grass will bend back, and if Weed is exposed, out he will go!"
"No," said Earth, "for that will endanger gentle Lily. The Weed is growing right next to her."
But Lily said, "Let us wait until the Gardener comes, for He is sure to pass by soon. Then we can ask Him to take care of Weed."
Lily was right. A little while later, the Gardener came by. He smiled at Cool Pond, who was glistening in the sunlight. He felt soft Green Grass beneath His feet, covering Warm Earth, and He lovingly looked at beautiful Lily. And then He saw ugly Weed that had begun to entwine itself on poor Lily's stalk.
"Oh, please help me!" called Lily. "Can you get rid of this ugly Weed that has started to grow around me? It's hurting me!"
The Gardener knew that if Weed kept growing, he would choke poor Lily. So the Gardener took a little bucket and filled it with Pond's clear fresh water and poured it on Earth, under Weed. He waited as it softened Earth beneath Weed. Then He carefully pulled Weed up and cast him out from the happy garden!
Oh, how happy they were again--little Lily and her friends. It felt so good now that that murmuring weed was gone. They all rejoiced and thanked the Gardener for helping to get rid of Weed.
* * *
So, children, I will tell you the moral of this simple story. Listen closely, and you will hear the voice of the Gardener--your Father in Heaven--lovingly telling you that everything is going to be all right, and that He will take care of you.
The Gardener loves each of His flowers, and you are like little Lily. He loves you, and He has planted you in His beautiful garden among the soft green grass, close to the crystal nourishing waters of His Word, in the warm earth of your loving Home and family.
He sends the refreshing raindrops of His blessings, and the gentle soothing breezes of His spirit--all because He loves you and cares for you. He likes to see you happy.
So if someday a seed comes along as a nagging thought, a murmur or complaint, or something that makes life difficult for you--don't despair. Just call out to the Gardener to deliver you from those weeds that can float into the garden of your heart and make life unpleasant for you! He will hear your prayer, and will answer.
Jesus loves to answer when you call out to Him, because He likes His garden in your heart to be a happy place. So look to the Gardener. Stay close to Warm Earth, soaking up the nourishment from Cool Pond's refreshing waters, so that you can be like bright and cheery Lily in Jesus' garden.
SCRAPPY THE CAT
-- As told by Jeff
"Here, Scrappy! Come on, Scrappy!"
I love my little cat. She is so obedient. We have a special love for each other, a connection that she and I understand.
I would like to tell you a little story about my cat and me. This happened some time ago when we were still on Earth. I was a young boy, and Scrappy was my best friend. I wasn't saved yet and didn't know about Jesus. I didn't find out about Jesus till much later, but that's a whole different story.
"Come on, Scrappy!"
My little cat came running up the stairs from the basement, where she liked to sleep on hot summer days. I thought it was special that whenever I called her she would come. Some cats don't come when you call them, but my little Scrappy, she was really special. It was such a joy to me when I came home from school and saw her there waiting at the door, greeting me with a smile. Her eyes twinkled with love and affection. I loved the way she wrapped her body around my legs and purred. She knew I loved her and I knew she loved me.
One morning I woke up and called as I usually did, "Here, Scrappy. Come on, Scrappy!" and she didn't come. I wondered why. That's strange. That's unusual. My mom was already outside. Maybe Mom let her out.
So off I went to catch the school bus that came by our house to pick us kids up and bring us to the grade school not quite a mile away. When coming home from school, I called Scrappy again, but she didn't come.
"Mom, have you seen Scrappy?"
"No, honey, I haven't seen her. Maybe she's out catching mice. She'll come home for dinner." Mom replied. Scrappy was always there for her feeding.
Feeding time came around. She didn't come. My heart started to hurt. Maybe she's not hungry. She'll certainly be home tonight, I thought.
Night came, but still no Scrappy. It was hard for me to sleep as I was concerned. What if she got hit by a car? What if she got attacked by another animal? The fears and worries started to overpower me. If only I knew then what I know now, I could have prayed for Scrappy. Now I have God's promises of protection, His promise that all things work together for good. Jesus promises He will give us peace if our minds are stayed on Him.
Overwhelmed with fears and worries, I could do nothing but cry into my pillow. I was too shy to share my heartache with my mom or my dad. I finally fell asleep and woke up with one thought still on my mind: Where's Scrappy? Where's my precious little cat? I called for Scrappy. I ran downstairs. She didn't come. I opened the door and looked outside. She wasn't there.
I asked my mom again, "Have you seen Scrappy?"
"No, Honey, I haven't seen her. But she's probably somewhere." Her voice was calm. Didn't she realize the strong feelings inside of me?
I couldn't eat that morning. I wasn't hungry. I didn't want to go to school but I knew I had to. I sat in class thinking about Scrappy, wondering where she could be. Maybe I could look in the attic. Maybe I'll go to the nearby field. I could walk through the forest. Surely I'll find her.
"Jeff, are you listening?" the teacher asked me.
"Pardon me, Mrs. Johnson?" She knew something was on my mind. My grade school teacher treated me like one of her own children. She knew my mind wasn't on the things she was trying to teach. Inside I felt overwhelmed with feelings.--I had lost something special to me. I felt that I hadn't given her enough love and attention. My heart hurt. I didn't feel like anyone would understand the closeness I felt with my cat, my feelings of love. And now she was gone. I struggled to keep back my tears. I had always heard you had to be strong and brave.
That day when I came home from school, I once again asked my mom, "Have you seen Scrappy?"
"No," was the answer.
By this time my mom had noticed my sadness. She tried to smile, "I'm sorry, Honey. I'm so sorry that Scrappy is lost. But she'll be home soon. She's okay." She tried to comfort me. She tried to encourage me, but I could not be comforted.
If I'd had Jesus in my heart, then I would have known that He understood my sadness and that He cared. If I had only had His promises to stand on, and His Word which gives faith. If I had known about Heaven and the next life, that would have comforted me.
So I told my mom, "I'm going outside to play."
"Okay!" she said. She knew what I was going to do. I ran out the door and headed out to the field.
"Scrappy! Here, Scrappy!" I called out. I went into the forest, up the path, looking up in the trees, calling for Scrappy everywhere. Where had she gone? I searched and looked but I didn't find her. I came home, ate dinner, and went to bed. Once again, I cried myself to sleep because I missed Scrappy so much.
The next morning when I woke up, she still wasn't there. I felt that nobody could understand or feel the pain I was in, so I tried to hide it. I came home from school that day still very discouraged. My mom knew by this time because I couldn't hide it anymore.
I got off the bus and walked slowly home, my head drooping down. It wasn't the usual happy, joyful run and excitement of getting home to change my clothes to go out and play with my friends. I felt my world had been shattered. I slowly opened the door and walked up the few stairs to the kitchen.
"Go look in the closet, Honey. There's something there for you," my mom said.
"Which closet?" I mumbled.
"The linen closet where we keep the sheets and towels."
I slowly walked towards the closet. She probably got something to cheer me up, to help me to get over my sadness. But I felt there was nothing in this world that could ever replace the love that Scrappy and I had for each other.
As I got closer to the closet, I thought, What would she get me?--A toy? A special snack? It wouldn't make any difference. Nothing could replace Scrappy.
I slowly opened the door of the closet. It was only a small closet, but it had many shelves in it. I didn't see anything there but sheets and towels.
Then I heard a little noise, a little peeping, scratching, tiny purring. I looked down--and there was Scrappy, looking up at me with her eyes full of love! I bent down to pick her up, and then I saw that she was not alone! She had five cute little fuzzy kittens cuddled up next to her--purring, sucking, nursing--snuggled up to my sweet mommy cat. She looked so happy! She looked so proud of her litter. And she looked so happy that I had finally found her!
What a surprise! Scrappy hadn't died! She hadn't gotten lost. She hadn't left me. She just had to go away for awhile to give birth to new life and to care for her baby kitties! And now my Scrappy was back and I was so happy!
I sat there and stared at her and she stared at me. She didn't move. She wasn't worried. I just enjoyed knowing that she was okay, that she was there. Wow, we were together again! The little kittens were so cute! Their eyes were shut and they were just a few days old. I was so happy. I could tell my mother was relieved, too, because she knew the love that Scrappy and I had for each other.
It's funny how these things happen. What you think are defeats turn out to be victories. What you think might be a loss is actually a gain. What you think is sadness is actually happiness. Sometimes you have to give, so that you can receive. You have to experience sadness so that you can be filled with joy.
If you've ever had to go away or be apart from someone special to you, it's not forever. You'll see them again. It's only a temporary loss. Even if you are not always with someone dear to you during your life on Earth--which the Bible says is but a vapor--we will have eternity to spend together in Heaven with those we love and feel close to.
Now I know that those who love Jesus and have Him in their heart, will live forever in the Heavenly Kingdom of God. I know that because I'm Here in Heaven, and Scrappy is too--and we're still the best of friends.
THE EMPTY BOX
Charlie was a young boy who lived with his parents and his little brother and sister in a large farmhouse set on a ridge. Charlie was, for the most part, a good little boy.--Although, as boys and girls are, he could also be naughty at times.
Sometimes he'd run and jump on his mother's bed, forgetting he had his shoes on, even though he'd been reminded many times not to do that. Then he would get mud all over the quilt. He would feel sorry about it afterwards, and sometimes would spot wash the quilt for Mom to show how sorry he was.
Charlie was a happy boy. He loved his mommy and daddy, and his brother and sister. But Charlie had one bad habit that he couldn't seem to get rid of.
Whenever mealtime came around, Charlie's heart would leap with joy. It was his favorite time of the day. He would think about all that yummy food. His mouth would begin watering. He'd rub his hands together, and his eyebrows would jump up and down with anticipation.
Once seated at the table, he would squirm and wiggle in his seat throughout the whole prayer, until finally his eyes would burst open and he would practically leap upon the serving dish!
"Charlie! Prefer your brethren, please!" he would then hear his father say. His dad would pass the serving plate, first to his mother, then to his sister, and gradually it made its way around the table.
Charlie ate with a relish. But sometimes, as the saying goes, his eyes were a little bigger than his stomach. Charlie would eye those mashed potatoes, and see that turkey or those dumplings, that salad with those beautiful red tomatoes, and he'd just want to eat the whole thing! He'd heap servings onto his plate that would make a camel blush!
Once his mighty pile was served, he'd dig in! Mmmm! Charlie just loved to eat! Gradually, his pace would become slower as he became fuller. A little slower, and a little slower, until finally, Charlie would stop. But at almost every mealtime, there would be a few portions of food still left--as if waiting in anticipation--on Charlie's plate.
Poor Charlie! He would look up from his dinner. His eyes would meet Mom's eyes, and Mom knew what was coming:
"Mommy, I'm full!" he would say in his most humble and contrite* tone. "Do you think I could put this back on the serving plate?"
Mom wasn't a big one for leftovers, so it was nice that sometimes his dad would eat the extra for Charlie; other times maybe little Ryan would help eat the rest. But then other times, uh-oh!--Charlie would end up secretly throwing it away. That was his bad habit, you see. He just couldn't help himself!
But the very next day, Charlie would be wriggling in anticipation, his eyebrows dancing up and down, and once again he'd pile a mountain of food on his plate. Mommy and Daddy tried to talk to him and explained that he needed to take less on his first serving. But it seemed that hungry Charlie just wasn't getting the point.
One night, Mommy and Daddy got together to pray after Charlie had gone to bed. They asked the Lord to teach Charlie this lesson that he needed to learn.
That night, as Charlie drifted off to sleep, unknown to him, a glowing white being entered his room. The angel walked over to where Charlie lay, blissfully sleeping, and put his hand on Charlie's forehead. At that moment, the thoughts and images from the angel were transported through his hand into Charlie's sleeping mind and Charlie began to dream.
In Charlie's dream, he saw a long hallway. As he began to walk up this hallway, he noticed that along the sides of the hall were many large paintings. Strangely enough, each painting was of a different type of food. There were bowls full of large, luscious pears and peaches; there were big plates of steak and french fries; there were bowls of delicious macaroni and cheese. On and on the hall went, and as he passed each painting, Charlie would hungrily rub his hands together and bob his eyebrows up and down, just thinking about dinnertime.
When Charlie came to the end of the hall, he saw a short pillar. It came up to his shoulders, and had a little tabletop. On the tabletop was a box. Charlie walked up to the box and took it in his hand. The box had a large square lid, which Charlie easily opened.
When Charlie looked inside the box, to his surprise, it was empty. Charlie stood there, puzzled, because something inside him told him that there was supposed to be something in that box.--But there wasn't! And then, Charlie woke up.
The angel was still standing there, looking over at Charlie--although Charlie couldn't see him.
Charlie sat up in his bed with a puzzled expression on his face. The dream had been very clear and vivid, which showed Charlie that there was probably a meaning to it. Maybe it was a message from the Lord. But Charlie had no idea what the message was!
Charlie folded his hands, bowed his head, and prayed. "Dear Jesus, please show Me the message that You're trying to tell Me through this dream."
And, as bold as could be, he saw words, scrolling across the screen of his mind, as though they were on some Family Fun video on his own personal little TV:
"Waste not, want not."
Now it was all starting to come clear! Even though not eating all the food on Charlie's plate seemed like a little thing, the Lord was trying to teach Charlie something important. This box was a representation of the Lord's storehouse for Charlie's life. When he was diligent and faithful with what the Lord gave him, then his box would be added to. But when he was wasteful, nothing could be added to his box. So the reason the box was empty in his dream was because Charlie hadn't been diligent in caring for the things the Lord gave him, such as his food. And therefore the Lord hadn't been able to fill up Charlie's storehouse as He would have liked.
Charlie suddenly remembered all kinds of times when he had been wasteful. But he especially thought of the times he had snuck off and thrown away his leftovers and then pretended that he had eaten them.
He saw that little things were very important. He realized that the Lord sees everything. He learned that if he wasted something, the Lord wasn't able to bless him by providing him with things he needed at a later date. He knew the story of the boomerang, that what you do comes back to you, and that you reap what you sow.
The Lord reminded him of the Bible story about the stewards. Those who had invested and used the talents the Lord gave them were blessed with more. But the one who wasted his talent, had it taken away from him. Charlie started to realized how if you're wasteful even with little things like your food, then the Lord doesn't like to send down His blessings--because He doesn't know if you're really going to appreciate them and use them wisely and faithfully.
Finally Charlie understood the dream. So that empty box in my dream was a sign of all the blessings that could have been there, but that weren't, because I have been wasteful.
The angel smiled. He was glad that Charlie now understood, and he knew that Charlie was sorry and would make an effort to do better.
Then the angel came closer and whispered a few words into Charlie's ear: "Don't worry, Charlie! Everybody's made mistakes! It's not the end of the world if you can't eat all the food on your plate. As long as your heart is right and you remember this important point: "waste not, want not," then the Lord can trust you with greater things and bigger blessings in the future. Then He knows that you'll treasure your blessings, that they are important to you, and that you'll be a good steward. He'll be able to say to you, 'Well done, you good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Lord!' And in that day, Charlie, because you learned how to be saving, honest and faithful, your box will not be empty again! Your box is going to be overflowing!"--And that is just what happened!
A LITTLE DROP OF TROY
There was once a raindrop who lived in a great big cloud with a whole lot of other droplets. Let's call him Troy.
Troy was a happy little droplet, full of life and spunk. But he was just that--little. Though he was usually cheerful, some days he would become sad thinking about how very small he was. He felt he was so small that he could never be much use to anyone. Troy didn't think about it all that much, though, and was usually happy to be able to laugh and play on the little cloud where he lived. Sometimes while playing, the tip of an airplane wing would fly through his neighborhood. It would pass by so fast, that it would make Troy spin around on the air currents.
Like all the other raindrops he lived with, Troy awaited his turn to fall to the earth below. Sometimes Troy and his friends would get together and talk about where they wanted to fall.
Some wanted to fall on a lake, where they could make new friends with all the other droplets of water that had arrived before them. Others wanted to be used to water someone's garden or thirsty field.
It was at these times that Troy would feel sad. I'm such a very small raindrop. He thought, I could never make any difference in the world. Even if I get to fall down to the earth, just one little tiny drop like me isn't going to be much of a help to anybody.
Troy glanced over at his friends who were still chatting about their planned adventures. As he watched, he noticed that they were all so much bigger and older than he. They all have bigger drops to offer the thirsty world than I do.
Troy thought back to a time when one of his friends had teased him about how he was much bigger and stronger than Troy, and this only made Troy feel sadder. Just then, Troy thought he heard a whisper. It was Gentle Breeze blowing by, a friend who Troy knew well, and who he played with at times.
"Chin up, Troy!" she said, "You may not be anything great all alone, but so what? None of the others are either! Did you know that all over the world, children spend hours looking up to the sky, trying to make out different images in the clouds?
"Did you know that people marvel at the neat shapes you make? Scientists study clouds and make up interesting names for you guys like: cumulus, cumulonimbus, cirrus, and other funny names!
"So just remember that when they look up, they don't see the biggest raindrop or the smallest raindrop, they see all of you together. If you all floated around on your own, there wouldn't be anything to see; you'd all be too tiny. But as long as you stick together, you are a thing of wonder.--And do you know when you all look the most beautiful? When the sun sets every night, it casts a lovely hue of red, orange, pink and purple all over you.--It's awesome! On the brightest and sunniest days, when you look so white and fluffy and soft, it's all because of the sun reflecting off of you.
"So remember that none of us could ever make it without the rest of us. And besides, who would want to be big and able in themselves, to where they didn't need anybody else? Wouldn't that be a boring life? Now, Troy, go play and just let Jesus do the worrying."
Troy realized that Gentle Breeze was right. Besides, look at her, Troy thought. Nobody can even see Gentle Breeze, except for us. But she's always so happy and content knowing that Jesus gave her such an important part to play in our lives, whether we see her or know who she is or not.
Why, if it weren't for her, we wouldn't be able to change shapes in the sky. I am going to try to do what she says and not think so much about what I am not, and remember the beautiful things that I am part of.
v
The weather changed and the wind picked up. Troy and his friends found themselves carried along on Windsor Wind's current, away from the sea and further over land. Troy watched another cloud pass by, who was being driven along on an air current a touch faster than his cloud.
A thought crossed his mind. Those raindrops will get to the earth first. By the time I fall I won't be needed . Then he caught himself, remembering what Gentle Breeze had taught him.
Jesus, I would so much like to be a joy to someone. I'm sure You could work something out, so I'm just going to trust You and see what You have in mind.
The moment had arrived. "Guess what, you all?" Windsor asked with a satisfied tone in his voice. "I'm about to land you on your destination. Your purpose will be to make others happy, to water the thirsty ground and to revive the drooping and dying plants, among many other things. Enjoy your trip and don't forget all of us up here." With that, he blew on the cloud and let all the raindrops fall.
Wow, what a thrill! thought Troy, as he fell through the air with his eyes closed tightly.
This will be quite a mission. Troy shuddered as the ground came closer. I don't have much to offer, but since Jesus has chosen me to fall today, I'm going to do my best. I'm going to be the happiest little raindrop that ever splashed on the planet, even if nobody sees or notices me.
-- Splat!!! Troy lifted his head and looked around. It wasn't soil. It wasn't a field. It wasn't a lake. He forced a half-cracked smile as he realized that he had landed on a concrete courtyard. Now he could only sit and wait, quietly repeating to himself his resolution to be the happiest little raindrop there ever was.
Soon he heard the creak of a door and high pitched voices coming closer. Tiny boots and colorful raincoats filled the courtyard, and in a moment several children were busy splashing in the puddles that the rain shower had left. Troy listened as they giggled and laughed, stomping and splashing in the puddles, one by one. They don't know who I am, but I'm glad that I have made these children happy today, thought Troy.
All too soon for Troy, a grownup who had been sitting quietly on the side stood up and called all the children in. Troy found himself splashed up on the last little pair of boots, as the children raced for the door.
Once the children were inside, the boots were taken off and lined up on a shelf on the porch. Troy felt himself rolling down the side of the boot, sliding through the wooden planks and landing in some soil below.
Oh, wow! I landed in soil! I wonder if anything is planted here? He wiggled to get comfortable between the grains of soil, and as he did, he began to sink deeper and deeper into the earth. He was suddenly hungrily sucked up by a root, into a dandelion that had been sheltered from the falling rain by the ledge of the porch.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, for dropping by!" the dandelion rejoiced. "I have been so thirsty! I was just hoping for a drop like you to come by!"
Troy smiled. He was happy that the Lord had used him to be a blessing to so many others. How many children he had helped make glad that day he would never know.
With that lovely thought, he fell fast asleep. As he slept, he dreamt of Gentle Breeze and of his adventurous journey, of Windsor Wind, the children, and the dandelion. He didn't think once about how tiny he had thought himself to be not too long ago.
Our story ends here, but that was not the end of little Troy. He made many more trips back up as a cloud and then back down again as a raindrop. What a busy little raindrop!
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Definitions found throughout book:
Page 9:
*contrite: sorry
[End]
Copyright (c) 1998 by Aurora Productions