It's late fall and the Indians on a remote reservation in South Dakota asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.Since he was a chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what the winter was going to be like.
Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.
But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is the coming winter going to be cold?''
"It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold," the meteorologist at the National Weather Service responded.
So the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.
A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. "Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?''
"Yes," the man at National Weather Service again replied, "it's going to be a very cold winter."
The chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.
Two weeks later, the chief called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?''
"Absolutely," the man replied. "It's looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters we've ever seen.''
"How can you be so sure?" the chief asked.
The weatherman replied, "The Indians are collecting firewood like crazy."
This is a funny story but it is a story that is played out in our lives all the time. Yes, times are tough. However, that does not mean we have to listen to the doom and gloom portrayed in the media. The media is often wrong. Besides, the media's job is to sell papers and advertising. Good news rarely does that.
We must focus on what is truth. There is only one place I know that we can be assured of truth...and that is the Word of God, the Bible.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
2 comments:
OK, that is a fantastic story, but it left me thinking.
What if the Indian had gone to the Bible to find out if it was going to be a cold winter?
I'm with you on the Bible being our primary source of truth. But sometimes we treat it like a a book of meteorology that is going to offer up predictions we can use to guide our immediate actions.
Marcus, you do have a point.
The point I was trying to make is that we, as a society, oftentimes are influenced by what we are being told, even when it is not true. This can lead to fear and other feelings which can make it more difficult to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.
I was trying to convey that we should not be making decisions in our lives unless those decisions line up with the word of God.
You are correct in that I should have done a better job of connecting those dots. Thanks so much for your input--I do appreciate it!
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