Inspirational Stories

April 11th, 2010 by Dr. Pauline

Joseph in the pit when his brothers sold him as a slave

Inspirational stories are probably one of the most familiar teachers of life lessons. One reason is that we know the characters are ordinary people just as we are. It is inspiring to know that one truly can find himself in the pit of life and get rescued in a way unimaginable. Joseph, (a teenager in the Bible found in Genesis), is not the only human to find himself in the pit. On some occasions during our lifetime we have found ourselves forgotten and left to “sink or swim.” Like Joseph, we too were betrayed and abandoned by our own family or close “friends.” The lessons we learned during these times of failures due, in a large part, to the foolish choices we made somewhere along the way are priceless. They are priceless in many ways but in particular how much these lessons cost us—bought sense is painful and costly.

Inspirational stories save us the trouble of learning life’s lessons the hard way. Many of us know that life can be a harsh schoolmaster. An administrator I knew once would say quite often: Observe other people and learn from their mistakes. Do not try to make all your own mistakes. Learn vicariously… watch others. If it is a bad example simply say to yourself, “I will not do that.” On the other hand, if it is a productive, well thought out plan say within your heart, “That’s good, I will follow that example.”

Inspirational stories can be found just about any place and they are not all written in books and magazines. The apostle Paul, (a preacher who wrote most of the New Testament) states that our lives are epistles, or letters, that are read daily by people. Then, all of our life stories are not necessarily written on paper, but they are written each day by the work we do. The work we do speaks loudly of who we truly are. An example of a walking inspirational story is Mother Teresa. Her life and ideals makes her a living legend.

Inspirational stories sometimes depict a person making an unusual sacrifice in the midst of almost impossible circumstances. There are two persons that come to mind; one, a great musician/singer, the other activist/lecturer. Both of these persons became inspirations by overcoming obstacles that could not be fixed by the miracle of medicine and science. They are Ray Charles and Helen Keller. Both inspired people by their sheer audacity in refusing to allow very real obstacles become handicaps to living a productive, full life.

Inspirational stories cannot be discussed without mentioning Jesus Christ. I suppose of all the people on earth his was a life of giving, sacrificing, loving and turning lives around. His doctrine was love even for the person who made it clear they did now, or ever in the future plan to return His love or ours. It is inspiring reading stories how He spent His time proving what a powerful weapon love is. Jesus had a very short time to show the world how to influence and love people. He had only thirty-three years whereas, we have an entire lifetime.