How many times have you said you are tired, stressed, discouraged? How many times life seemed to weigh on your shoulders, as if you were carrying the world and have felt almost sinking?

Have you ever wondered what the reason of this mood is?

You may answer you are tired of the daily struggle since you are no longer young, that the years count in the economy of the body, the forces are not the same anymore, that the struggles upsurge.

All these might be true, partially. However, sometimes, we choose some items as priorities in our lives, though they are not.

This leads us to a fact that we once heard and will narrate now, with the taste of our own emotion.

A teacher used to gather often, his students, extracurricular, in order to strengthen bonds of friendship. His house was, in general, the place they used to meet.

In one of these opportunities, the guys started talking about their discontents, their tiredness, stress that they felt.

Everyone´s tone of voice was the same. So, the diligent teacher went into the kitchen and made them hot chocolate.

The day was cold and the drink was just propitious. He brought a big jug with hot chocolate and put it on the living room table.

Around it, he put some mugs of different types, sizes and colors. Some were large, colorful, beautiful. Some porcelain, crystal, others clay.

Soon, the boys, eager to drink something hot, began to help themselves, choosing the most expensive and gaudy cups.

And the chat kept on.

After a while, having exhausted the complaints, the professor took the word:

Young, I can see you all enjoyed the hot chocolate. Have you realized that each one of you quickly sought to take the most beautiful and precious cup?

Although you think it is normal to desire only the better things for yourselves, there it is the fountain of your problems.

The mug does not add anything to the quality of your drink. Most of the times it is only more expensive. Sometimes it even hides what we are drinking.

However what we all wanted was the hot chocolate, isn´t that true?

The mug was just the container that does not have the power to change the substance it contains.

Look: the hot chocolate is the life that God gives us. Jobs, money and position in society are the mugs.

These are tools that are part of our lives. The mugs that you have in your hands do not define nor change the quality of life you live.

Sometimes we focus only on the mugs; we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has offered.

Remember that God provides the chocolate. He does not choose the cup.

*  *  *

Remember that happy people are not the ones that have the best of everything but the ones that do the best of all they have.

Let´s think about this and establish our priorities.

Spiritist Moment Team, based on a story on

 an unknown writer.

June 13.2011.