There was
once a man who got lost in the desert. The water in his flask ran 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 gained entrance, 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 sweet 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!"
This story
is all about life. It teaches us that we must give before we can receive
abundantly. More importantly, it also teaches that faith plays an important
role in giving. The man did not know if his action would be rewarded, but he
proceeded regardless. Without knowing what to expect, he made a leap of faith.
Water in
this story represents the good things in life. Something that brings a smile to
your face. It can be intangible knowledge or it can represent money,
love, family, friendship, happiness, respect, or any number of other things you
value. Whatever it is that you would like to get out of life, that's water.
The water
pump represents the workings of the karmic mechanism. Give it some water to
work with, and it will return far more than you put in.
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