A Cup of Hot Chocolate...

This fits perfectly into an email I sent out inviting photographers to come together and enjoy a cup of coffee so we might all pray over each others businesses as we prepare to close out this year and ready ourselves for a new fresh start! The gist of my email was that we are so busy wondering how to market, meet new people, edit- come up with new ideas, etc. for our business. Often we forget to stop and pray for each other- no matter your profession- we should always bless each other before ourselves. If we put everyone's needs before our own wouldn't our needs always be taken care of? Anyway- I am just at a time personally where I want to put God first in everything I do- my family, my friends- but especially my journey as a relatively new photographer. So enjoy this story that was sent to me... (And by the way, if you would like to join us next Tues, Dec 9th- please do- I will post the place as soon as we decide on a Starbucks that holds more than 3 people in one sitting...=oD)

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired.

During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said:

'Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.

While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

The cup that you 're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups.

And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this:

Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups.

They are just tools to hold and contain life.

The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us.

God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate!!