SOME MORE PRECIOUS JEWELS 6

FIRST – GET UP, STAND UP!: It is difficult enough to get up; more difficult to stay up, both literally and metaphorically. Struggle is the natural order among living things. As it is among humans, so it is in the lives of animals, sometimes more so. There is much in the struggles in the lives […]

FIRST – GET UP, STAND UP!: It is difficult enough to get up; more difficult to stay up, both literally and metaphorically. Struggle is the natural order among living things. As it is among humans, so it is in the lives of animals, sometimes more so. There is much in the struggles in the lives of animals that we humans should take lessons from. For example, there is much to learn from the life of a baby giraffe, as narrated in the book, ‘A View from the Zoo’ by Gary Richmond. He describes how a newborn giraffe learns its first lesson:

“Bringing a giraffe into the world is a tall order. A baby giraffe falls 10 feet from its mother’s womb and usually lands on its back. Within seconds it rolls over and tucks its legs under its body. From this position it considers the world for the first time and shakes off the last vestiges of the birthing fluid from its eyes and ears. Then the mother giraffe rudely introduces its offspring to the reality of life.

“The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over her calf. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heels. When it doesn’t get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts. Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs.

“Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the herd, where there is safety. Lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs all enjoy young giraffes, and they’d get it too, if the mother didn’t teach her calf to get up quickly and get on with it.” (Come on, then, give your child that kick!)

SECOND – ‘CAN’T DO’ ATTITUDE:

Converse to the giraffe story, we should not be like the elephants, as illustrated by the following story: “As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

“I saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘when they are very young and much smaller, we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.’

“I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were. (Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?”)

THIRD – CRY NOT TOO LATE:

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the famous 19th-century poet and artist, was once approached by an elderly man. The old fellow had some sketches and drawings that he wanted Rossetti to look at and tell him if they were any good, or if they at least showed potential talent.

Rossetti looked them over carefully. After the first few, he knew that they were worthless, showing not the least sign of artistic talent. But Rossetti was a kind man, and he told the elderly man as gently as possible that the pictures were without much value and showed little talent. He was sorry, but he could not lie to the man. The visitor was disappointed, but seemed to expect Rossetti’s judgment.

He then apologized for taking up Rossetti’s time, but would he just look at a few more drawings – these done by a young art student? Rossetti looked over the second batch of sketches and immediately became enthusiastic over the talent they revealed. “These,” he said, “Oh, these are good. This young student has great talent. He should be given every help and encouragement in his career as an artist. He has a great future if he will work hard and stick to it.”

Rossetti could see that the old fellow was deeply moved. “Who is this fine young artist?” he asked. “Your son?” “No,” said the old man sadly. “It is me – 40 years ago. If only I had heard your praise then! For you see, I got discouraged and gave up – too soon.” (So do not let them pull you down!)

FOUR – MIRACLES COST A DOLLAR:

A little girl, Tess, went to her room and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place. She poured the change out and counted it carefully. Placing the coins back in the jar, she slipped out the back door and made her way to the Drug Store. The pharmacist had a guest, and seemed very busy. When he finally turned to Tess, he asked rather impatiently: “And what do you want? This here is my brother whom I haven’t seen for a long time.” “Well, I want to talk to you about my brother, too” she answered back. “He’s really, really sick, and I want to buy a miracle.” “I beg your pardon!” said the pharmacist.

“My brother’s name is Andrew,” said Tess, and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?” “We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the pharmacist said, softening a little.

“Listen,” said Tess, “I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.” The pharmacist’s brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”

“I don’t know,” Tess replied with her eyes welling up. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation…But my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.” “How much do you have?” asked the pharmacist’s brother. “One dollar and eleven cents,” Tess answered, barely audibly. “And it’s all the money I have.”

“Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents…the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.” He took her money in one hand and with the other hand, he grasped her mitten and said, “Take me to where you live.  I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the miracle you need.”

 That well dressed man was a famous surgeon, specializing in neurosurgery. The operation was completed, free of charge, and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

Much later, Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this. “That surgery,” her Mom whispered, “was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?” Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost…one dollar and eleven cents…(plus the faith of a little child).

(In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need. A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law.)