Faith (wisdom stories)
The umbrella
There was once a small village, which was suffering from a severe drought. The crops were dying, and the villagers and their animals had very little water to drink.
One day, to try to find a solution to the drought, the village priest called the villagers to gather at the village square to pray together for rain. He told them to bring along a token of their faith, so the prayer would be done in sincere faith.
And so, the villagers gathered at the square bringing with them tokens of their faith. Some brought the Holy Bible while others carried small crosses as tokens of faith. They all prayed aloud with great faith and hope.
Sure enough, within a few moments it began to rain. The whole crowd was overjoyed and danced happily. The priest noticed that among the joyous crowd was a nine-year-old boy, clutching an umbrella as a token of faith. The priest admired this little boy, who had brought an umbrella in total faith that the God would surely hear his prayers and send rain.
In search of rain
After four years of drought in the little village, the parish priest gathered everybody to make a pilgrimage to the mountain; there they would join in communal prayer to ask for rain.
In the middle of the group the priest noticed a boy all wrapped up in warm clothes and covered by a raincoat.
“Are you crazy?” he asked. “It hasn’t rained in this region for five years and you’ll die of the heat climbing the mountain!”
“I’ve got a cold, father. If we are going to pray to God for rain, can you imagine the climb back down? The downpour is going to be so heavy that it’s better to be prepared.”
At that very moment a loud roar was heard in the sky and the first drops began to fall. The faith of a boy was enough to work a miracle that thousands of men were praying for.
Tightrope of faith
Most tightrope walkers perform their stunt with a safety net placed securely below them. However, there once was a tightrope walker who differentiated himself by walking between two 20-story buildings without a net. Spectators would watch him perform his breathtaking feat, walking from one building to the other. He appeared to walk the tightrope without much effort or concern. He would simply focus and place one step after the other.
During his second act, his assistant sat on his shoulders as he walked again. Amazed, everyone would give him a thunderous applause.
For his last act, he asked the crowd if they believed in him and if they believed he could do it again. The excited crowd responded, ‘Yes, we believe in you and that you can do it again!’ He paused and then asked the crowd, ‘Now, who will volunteer to get on my shoulders?’ The crowd became silent.
Source: Wisdom Share
Tightrope of faith
There was once a circus performer who made a living by pushing a wheelbarrow across a high wire that spanned an abyss. The crowds came out in droves to watch him and to cheer him on. “Do you believe I can do it?” he would ask them. “Oh, yes! We believe you can do it,” they chorused back in acclamation.
“So, who’s going to get in the wheelbarrow?” he asked. And silence fell.
Source: Margaret Silf