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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of inspirational short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

6100+ Inspirational Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. From tales of the miraculous to stories of extraordinary people overcoming incredible odds, you’ll always find something uplifting in our collection of inspirational short stories.

Inspirational Short Stories – Page 365 of 407

The Drifter

Submitted to Contest #75

There were more stars over head then he could ever remember seeing in the night sky before, but then again he couldn’t remember much of anything since he’d left San Antonio. The thought of that comforted him and he smiled. He reached into his pack and pulled out a half empty bottle of cheap whiskey and he took a long swig straight from the bottle. He quickly returned it and continued his slow march down State rd. 89A. At least he new where he was going. Might not remember how he had managed to get this far but he did have a destination in mi...

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Andy's Writing Resolutions

Submitted to Contest #75

Andy Porter has always wanted to be a writer. He grew up writing in a journal every day since he was 7 years old. Yes, he loved playing with his Power Rangers and reading. Andy wasn't the most popular kid growing up. No siblings, but he had a best friend named Matthew Oakes, who was much like Andy, a nerd. He loved "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. Andy and Matthew are still best friends 29 years later. Writing has always been an escape for Andy. You could say that his journal was his best friend too. He could tell the journal thi...

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Try

Submitted to Contest #75

Try, what does that word mean? To some, it may mean quickly looking over a set of history themed flashcards, or attempting to reach that shiny rock out of the depths of the lake you visit each summer. But to others it may have a deeper meaning, pulling all nighters only to get a fifty percent on a final and get yelled at for not trying hard enough. This generation some adults may question your definition of "I'm trying". You may try your hardest, blood sweat and tears, only to fall into the pits of failure, and you may not want to crawl out ...

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Sharing on how to help someone leave their old life behind

Submitted to Contest #75

This is a tricky statement and a rather thought-provoking one. My job as a caregiver (pastor). As I thought about what the role of a pastor entails I thought about caring for lost souls, I thought about teaching and discipling. I thought about having a heart for the fatherless and bowels of compassion for the marginalized. Each day I think about the many caps that such an individual wears and wonder how do they do it. How do I get the task done so that it causes persons to move out of a sense of hopelessness, despair, loneliness, and lost t...

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The Dictionary of Death Curses

Submitted to Contest #75

My father’s funeral was better attended than I anticipated, given the man made a career from diagnosing and describing the end of so many lives. Sitting up the front of the local church, I had felt the press of people at my back but didn’t want to turn around and look at their faces. When it was my turn to eulogise him, I waited until the last moment to raise my eyes and look out over the collection of people, many of them physically uncomfortable in church, but on the whole looking back at me with serene half-smiles. It’s in the quiet time ...

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I keep moving

Submitted to Contest #75

A lot can happen in only a year. People change and so did I. Last year I was only a high schooler that should have graduated that year. In school I was this popular girl with rich parents, good looks and her perfect little life. Or so everyone thought that my life was like that. Some wanted to be my friends for my status in society, others thought I was this mean girl and tried to stay as far away from me as possible. And let's be honest, everyone felt intimidated by me, even my 'so called' friends. They all thought I only cared about my loo...

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Divine Visitation

Submitted to Contest #75

Trigger warning: self harm, suicidal ideation, substance abuse   Divine Visitation.     Change they say is constant, but Chisom felt the same way every year since the death of her parents. It wasn’t that she willed herself to be depressed, things weren’t just working out for her.   Her caretaker had demanded that she had a month to pay her rent, or she’d park out of the lodge, her grades were dropping the more time she spent drowning in alcohol, instead of studying for her exams.   She repressed a sigh, making a vow ...

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A new beginning

Submitted to Contest #75

There are two types of people. Those people who do things in life for other people, and live their lives for others and not for them. And the other type are the people who left the society’s standards and lived their lives doing what they love, and sadly, these kinds of people are very rare because of the society we all live in. People are always headed by other people that are “role models” for them, and by doing that, they end up not living their life how they dreamed to. People don’t really realize that until they are an age that your lif...

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New Year's Resolutions Suck

Submitted to Contest #75

January 1st As the final fireworks of New Year’s Eve toppled over into New Year’s Day; Rosemary, Samantha and Julia poured another glass of bubbly, toasting to the year ahead. “What are your New Year’s Resolutions?” giggled Rosemary, tipping her drink in her lap. She was significantly drunk, but that didn’t stop her. “The same as they are every year”, announced Julia, “find a first edition of Pride and Prejudice, and become unbelievably rich – and stop biting my nails – that’s been the same since I was 13.” Samantha rolled her eyes “Come ...

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Cigarettes and Lavender

Submitted to Contest #75

Cigarettes and lavender. The dark smelled like something burning yet calming and the room felt… neither cold nor warm.The person who had arrived waited, their feet not tired and their patience not thin, as a small light made its way to them. The figure within the light stops in front of them.“Hello.”“Hi. You know why I’m here?”The figure stares quietly before nodding, “Why don’t you tell me yourself.”“I’m here for a new life. I need to… escape.. I need to get away.”The figure nods. This person was no different than the ones who had come befo...

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Narcissistic Wound

Submitted to Contest #75

A narcissistic wound, he called it.  She felt those words like a sound block struck by a gavel, a sentence she wouldn’t be able to dodge. She felt that instead of sitting on a leather couch, a cup of mint tea in hand, she was propped on an exam table, wearing nothing but a white gown. Like instead of the concentrated stare of Dr. Eduardo, her latest though not her first therapist, it was a radiologist telling her they’d found a tumor. “Do you know what a narcissistic wound is?” Eduardo asked. They were on their fifth session and on ...

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Courage

Submitted to Contest #75

I took a breath, drink a sip of black coffee as the door opened up revealing a disheveled woman with long dark hair, with a weak smile on her face, her eyes sunken with dark circles. She was hunched, and her hands was trembling as she neurotically looked everywhere around the room but me. The room was simple, with a beige background and a warm picture of a child hugging a golden retriever, and a bookshelf at the left side of the room showcasing picture books and psychological textbooks. A lavender incense sat atop my desk, along with col...

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Moving on

Submitted to Contest #75

Trigger warning: sexual assault, suicidal ideation The rose tumbled from her fingers falling with her tears down below. How could he have done this to her? She had been nothing but loyal and had loved him with everything she had. What’s even sadder. It had happened a year ago. A year ago when she had come home to find another girl. A year ago when she discovered that her husband had been cheating on her. A year ago when she had given him the chance to choose her and work out their problems and he shattered her heart instead. Standing on the ...

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The Motivational Speaker

Submitted to Contest #75

Trigger warning: suicidal ideation   James sat down thinking about how his life was seven years ago. He was at the bridge about to jump down as a passerby held him. It still felt like yesterday. His wife had put to birth a few days ago, and he was present at the hospital to welcome his new baby. Tears rolled down his cheek as he looked at his son. “Imagine if I jumped off that bridge, imagine if I had died? What would be the outcome?" he thought to himself.   He knew all he went through, from losing his job to becoming a homeless p...

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Your Past is not your future: A fictional story By- Pravini Thivakar

Submitted to Contest #75

Your Past is not your future: A fictional story By- Pravini Thivakar Have you ever felt that it would be best to forget your past forever? Some people say our past is what builds our future but I think differently. Our past is what we learn from, while our future is our opportunity to build from our past. After my journey, I've realized that sometimes it's okay to forget our past. My Past: As a child, I always thought it's not okay to be different, always blend in, be cool, be hidden in the crowds. I was bullied, that's my hidden truth, ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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