“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it” (Aristotle). What we think and accept, we become! Many years ago, in a small town, business owner owed a large sum of money to a moneylender.
The moneylender was very old, and unattractive and he had taken interest in the business owner’s daughter. As a smart move, he decided to offer the businessman a deal that would completely wipe out the debt he owed him. However, the catch was that he would only wipe out the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter. Needless to say, this proposal was met with a look of disgust from both the father and daughter.
The moneylender suggested they play a game of chance. He would place two pebbles into a bag, one white and one black. The daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a pebble. If it was black, her father’s debt would be wiped, but the moneylender would marry her. If it was white, the debt would be wiped, but the daughter would not have to marry the moneylender. Standing on a pebbly path in the businessman’s garden, the moneylender bent over and picked up two pebbles.
The daughter noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and placed them both into the bag. He then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one. The daughter naturally had three choices as to what she could do:
1. Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag.
2. Take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the loan-shark for cheating, which in the end might anger him and place his father in jeopardy.
3. Pick a pebble from the bag knowing it would be black, and sacrifice herself for her father’s freedom.
She composed herself and calmly drew out a pebble from the bag, and before looking at it “accidentally” dropped it into the midst of the other pebbles. Then she said to the moneylender; “Oh, how clumsy of me. Never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”
The moneylender was left with no choice but to play along and pick the other pebble which obviously was also black. Thus, assuming the daughter had picked a white pebble, her father’s debt was wiped clean.
It’s always possible to overcome a tough situation if only we would learn to think outside the box. Sometimes the so called ‘only option’ is not your ‘only option’. “Big ideas come from forward thinking people who challenge the norm, think outside the box, and invent the world they see inside, rather than submitting to the limitations of current dilemmas” (TD Jakes). It isn’t enough to only think outside the box, we have to sometimes act outside the box.
The trouble with most of us is not so much our ignorance, as knowing or believing in things that are not what we think. This week alter your life and destiny by altering your thinking and actions, and let the grace of God move you to the next level.
May Your Week Not be Weak, But With Him. I send you my prayerful wishes! From Fr. Ray@accra
