Not Your Fruit Alone
A voyaging ship was wrecked
during a storm at sea and only two of the
men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two
survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other
recourse but to pray to
God. However, to find out whose prayer was more
powerful, they agreed to
divide the territory between them and stay on
opposite sides of the
island.
The first thing they prayed
for was food. The next morning, the first
man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to
eat it's fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man
was lonely and he decided to pray for a
wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor
was a woman who swam to his
side of the land. On the other side
of the island, there was
nothing.
Soon the first man prayed
for a house, clothes, more food. The next
day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second
man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man
prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife
would leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked
at his side of the island.
The first man boarded the
ship with his wife and decided to leave the
second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to
receive God's blessings,
since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to
leave, the first man heard a voice from
heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"
"My blessings are mine
alone, since I was the one who prayed for
them", the first man answered. "His prayers were all
unanswered and
so he does not deserve
anything."
"You are
mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer,
which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my
blessings."
"Tell me," the
first man asked the voice, "What did he pray for that I
should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."
For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone,
but those of another praying for us.
This is too good not to
share. You did share and God will reciprocate you.