Dear Reader
Here is an inspiring story on faith in
others:
The Desert Pump – author
unknown
A man got lost in the desert. The water in
his flask had run out two days ago, and he was on his last legs. He knew that
if he didn't get some water soon, he would surely perish. The man saw a shack
ahead of him. He thought it might be a mirage or hallucination, but having no
other option, he moved toward it. As he got closer he realized it was quite
real, so he dragged his weary body to the door with the last of his strength.
The shack was not occupied and seemed like
it had been abandoned for quite some time. The man entered, hoping against hope that he might
find water inside.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw what
was in the shack: a water pump. It had a pipe going down through the floor,
perhaps tapping a source of water deep under-ground.
He began working the pump, but no water
came out. He kept at it and still nothing happened. Finally he gave up from
exhaustion and frustration. He threw up his hands in despair. It looked as if
he was going to die after all.
Then the man noticed a bottle in one corner
of the shack. It was filled with water and corked up to prevent evaporation.
He uncorked the bottle and was about to
gulp down the life-giving water when he noticed a piece of paper attached to
it. Handwriting on the paper read: "Use this water to start the pump.
Don't forget to fill the bottle when you're done."
He had a dilemma. He could follow the
instruction and pour the water into the pump, or he could ignore it and just
drink the water.
What to do? If he let the water go into the
pump, what assurance did he have that it would work? What if the pump
malfunctioned? What if the pipe had a leak? What if the underground reservoir
had long dried up?
But then... maybe the instruction was
correct. Should he risk it? If it turned out to be false, he would be throwing
away the last water he would ever see.
Hands trembling, he poured the water into
the pump. Then he closed his eyes, said a prayer, and started working the pump.
He heard a gurgling sound, and then water
came gushing out, more than he could possibly use. He luxuriated in the cool
and refreshing stream. He was going to live!
After drinking his fill and feeling much
better, he looked around the shack. He found a pencil and a map of the region.
The map showed that he was still far away from civilization, but at least now
he knew where he was and which direction to go.
He filled his flask for the journey ahead.
He also filled the bottle and put the cork back in. Before leaving the shack,
he added his own writing below the instruction: "Believe me, it
works!"
May this story inspire you to take a leap
of faith in your main dilemma in life and watch the magic unfold.
Warm regards,
Rohan