Andras Tamas is the name officials gave a certain man decades ago in a Russian psychiatric hospital. He’d been drafted into the army, but the authorities had mistaken his native Hungarian language for the gibberish of a lunatic and had him committed.

Then they forgot about him. For 53 years.

A few years ago a psychiatrist at the hospital began to realize what had happened and helped Tamas recover the memories of who he was and where he came from. He recently returned home to Budapest as a war hero, “the last prisoner of World War II.”

Not only had this man forgotten his real name, he hadn’t even seen his own face in five decades. So, according to one news account, “For hours, the old man studies the face in a mirror. The deep-set eyes. The gray stubble on the chin. The furrows of the brow. It is his face, but it is a startling revelation.”

Imagine looking at your own face in a mirror and not recognizing it. James 1:22-25 says that is just what people are doing when they listen to God’s Word but do not obey it. There, right before their eyes in Scripture, is an accurate reflection of themselves. But they don’t truly see—with the eyes of their hearts—what the Bible shows them.

• I believe- that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
• I believe- that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
• I believe- that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you wantthemo doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.
• I believe- that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
• I believe- that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
• I believe- that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
• I believe- that you can keep going, long after you can’t.
• I believe- that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
• I believe- that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
• I believe- that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
• I believe- that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
• I believe- that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
• I believe- that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
• I believe- that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.
• I believe- that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.
• I believe- that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
• I believe- that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.
• I believe- that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.
• I believe- that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
• I believe- that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
• I believe- that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people Who don’t even know you.
• I believe- that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you will find the strength to help.
• I believe- credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
• I believe- that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

A young, new pastor was walking with an older, more seasoned pastor in the garden one day and feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do, he was inquiring of the older pastor.  The older Pastor walked up to a rosebush and handed the young pastor a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals.

The young pastor looked in disbelief at the older pastor and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the WILL OF GOD for his life and for his ministry.

Because of his high respect for the older pastor, he proceeded to TRY to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact . . .  It wasn’t long before he realized how impossible it was to do so.

Noticing the younger pastor’s inability to unfold the rosebud while keeping it intact, the older pastor began to recite the following poem . . .

UNFOLDING THE ROSEBUD
By Charlie Gilchrist

It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of GOD’s design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so sweetly,
When in my hands they fade and die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of GOD’s design,
Then how can I think I have wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

So I’ll trust in Him for His leading
Each moment of every day.
I will look to him for His guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way.

The pathway that lies before me,
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.