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Fourth Important Lesson: Obstacles in Our Paths
In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of his wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along, carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After he picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king, indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the stone from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand: Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
Fifth Important Lesson: Giving When it Counts
Many years ago a hospital volunteer got to know a little girl name Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her five-year-old brother who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. He hesitated for only a moment before saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then he looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" He had misunderstood the doctor. He thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
