Helicopters and boats

I love Michael Neill and I really enjoyed being trained by him on my NLP Practitioner course many years ago.

His recent blog has just reminded me of a great story.

So here is a story today from my never-ending notebook and everlasting pencil in keeping with my money theme today.

DIVINE ASSISTANCE

There was once a man who was a great devotee of God. He always believed that God would take care of him, regardless of the circumstances.

One day a great flood came to the town in which he lived.

All the neighbours began evacuating their homes. However, this man was not worried. “God will take care of me,” he assured himself.

Soon, the flood waters began to rise and water filled the first floor of the man’s home. “No problem,” he thought and moved to the second floor. At this time a boat came by, and the men in the boat shouted to him through the
window, “Climb in, we’ll save you.”

“No,” the man replied calmly. “That’s all right. God will save me.”

The men in the boat urged him to evacuate his home. “The waters are rising and rising,” they cried. But, the man was undisturbed and sent them away, firm in his conviction that God would come through for him.

However, the rain continued and the waters rose and rose.

The second and then third floor of his house filled with water. “No problem,” he thought as he moved onto his rooftop.

Sitting on the rooftop, wrapped in a rain coat, the man saw a helicopter fly overhead. From the helicopter, a life preserver dropped down into the man’s lap. “Grab on,” the pilot yelled. “I’ll save you.”

But, the man wouldn’t grab on. “God will save me,” he yelled back. “I don’t need your life preserver.” So, eventually, the helicopter flew away.

The flood rose and soon the man drowned.

When he entered Heaven, he said to God, “What happened?

How could you let me drown? I thought you said you’d always save me. I had such faith in you.”

God looked at the man sadly and said, “I sent you a boat; I sent you a helicopter. What else could I do?”

Here are some questions to ponder today from this story:

• How many times in life do you avoid taking advantage of the situations which present themselves to you, instead preferring to hold on tenaciously to your limiting beliefs about money?

• How many times do you blame others due to your own bad choices about your circumstances?

• How do you react like the man in the story to Life’s helicopters and boats?

• How can you start to look at Life’s helicopters and boats and recognise them for what they are – Heaven sent and embrace them more?

• What messages are you passing onto your children about Life’s helicopters and boats?

• What can you do to change that if you don’t like what you’ve noticed?