A man was asked to paint a boat. He brought with him paint and brushes and began to paint. While painting, he realized there was a hole in the ship and decided to repair it. When he finished painting, he received his money and left.
The next day, the owner of the boat came to the painter and presented to him, a nice cheque much higher than the payment of the painting. The painter was surprised: You have already paid me for painting the boat! The owner replied: “But this is not for the painting job, it is for having repaired the hole in the boat.
Painter: “Ah! But it was such a small service….. Certainly it’s not worth paying me so such a high amount for something so insignificant.”
Owner: “My dear friend, you do not understand. When I asked you to paint the boat, I did not mention the hole. When the boat dried up my kids took it and went on a fishing trip. They did not know there was a hole in the boat and I was not at home at that time. Imagine what went through my mind. I sat at the shore weak and helpless. I cried the whole time and blamed myself for the demise of my kids. I doubt if I’d ever have forgiven myself. When evening came, I was awoken from my stupor by strange waves. That’s when my eyes caught sight of my boat approaching. When I saw them sailing back home, my soul was relieved. Then I found that the hole in the boat had been repaired by you. You saved me and my children.”
LESSONS:
-Repair the leak in someone’s life, wipe away tears and help others.
-Identify and appreciate those who repair the holes in your life, because the holes could have led to something disastrous. Click HERE to read more articles by Danstan
