At the risk of sounding overly spiritual, we bring to the fore a common thread among many religious holy books. We notice that quite a number of the characters therein have had their life’s stories turned around by a stranger or a mere servant. I am quite familiar with the Bible, and so we’ll pick an analogy from the Holy Bible as we make our point. I could tell you the story of Joseph, and his days in prison, and his rise to fame and fortune simply because a strange helper remembered a kind deed he offered. But we’ll share another equally interesting one.
Naaman was a great man in his time. They describe him as a gallant leader of a mighty army. But his professional accomplishments were of increasingly less significance because he bore a personal burden that was a source of public ridicule: He was leprous. He may have seen the experts in his time, but he took the advice of a common slave girl to go in search of a Prophet. Upon arrival at the Prophet’s, Naaman was received by a servant and instructed to do the unusual. Doubting the Prophet’s recommended methods, he again listened to the advice of another servant to simply obey.
Eventually, he did as he was told and he was healed. We pick a lesson from this. Three times, Naaman listened to servants. He could have thought of himself too highly to listen to a slave’s advice, but he did not. He could have thought of himself too dignified to obey instructions from a strange healer’s servant, but he did not. He could have remained defiant by insisting on not obeying those instructions, but he did not. Three times he listened to unlikely “helpers”, and his destiny was re-written for good.
Say a prayer to the heavens today, and ask your Creator to send you your helper – the helper who will link you to your dreams. But be forewarned that the human-angel you seek to help you reach the place of your dreams isn’t necessarily the head of the largest conglomerate or a political office holder. It may be, like Naaman or Joseph, that your help will come from seemingly unimportant people. You never can tell who knows whom, or what they know. And so to save yourself the risk of turning back your “helper”, be kind to everyone – without exception. A kind word, a polite gesture or a friendly disposition towards each person will set you on the right path…
