DOING ONE’S BIT

Doing One’s Bit ~ 286 ~ cook a meal. When it was nearly ready, they threw a handful of chillies into the hot oil to season it. Such a spicy aroma rose up into the air that the man in the tree sneezed. Only then did the travellers learn of his presence, whereupon they invited him to share what they had cooked. The man happily went back home and said to his friends the next morning, “What you said was quite true. But you hadn’t told me the whole story. Of course, God does provide you with food. It’s just that you have to sneeze and come down a tree to get it!” Although humorous in tone, this little anecdote is serious in intent. It is, in fact, a parable which underscores the notion that God helps those who help themselves. And although man’s role is a very minor one, it is nevertheless a very necessary one. A man must prove his worth to have his due share of God’s gifts. We must never, therefore, neglect to make ourselves deserving of God’s nourishment.