"I need oil," said an ancient monk; so he planted an olive sapling.
"Lord," he prayed, "it needs rain that its tender roots may drink and
swell. Send gentle showers." And the Lord sent gentle showers. "Lord,"
prayed the monk, "my tree needs sun. Send sun, I pray Thee." And the sun
shone, gilding the dripping clouds. "Now frost, my Lord, to brace its
tissues," cried the monk. And behold, the little tree stood sparkling
with frost, but at evening it died.
Then the monk sought the cell of a brother monk, and told his strange
experience. "I, too, planted a little tree," he said, "and see! it
thrives well. But I entrust my tree to its God. He who made it knows
better what it needs than a man like me. I laid no condition. I fixed
not ways or means. 'Lord, send what it needs,' I prayed, 'storm or
sunshine, wind, rain, or frost. Thou hast made it and Thou dost know.'"
- taken from Streams in the Desert, Vol. 1, March 29th
~Brittany
No comments:
Post a Comment