A Modern Parable

There once was a man whose faith was very strong. One day, a horrible, horrible storm hit his city, to the point where it got so bad that the streets were flooding. As the water rose higher and higher, he eventually had to climb up on the roof to avoid being swept away. However, he was not worried, for he believed that God would provide for him.

As the water was sloshing about his ankles, a man in a rowboat paddled over to him. And he said, "Brother! The water is rising! You better get in this here boat!"

But the man shook his head and smiled. "Thank you, but I'll be fine. I know the Lord is going to save me." And the man in the rowboat paddled away.

The water kept on rising, and soon, it was up to the man's waist. At this point, a man in a motorboat steered over to him. "Hey, Brother!" he said. "The water is rising; you had better get in this here motorboat!"

But, the man smiled and said, "Thank you, but I'll be fine. I know that God will take care of me." And so, the man in the motorboat drove off.

The storm was fierce, and soon, the water was at the man's chest. But, he was not worried, because he believed that God would save him. Finally, a helicopter flew by, and a rope ladder droped down to him. A voice from the helicopter called out: "Brother! The water is rising! You had better get in this here helicopter!"

But, the man smiled and said, "Thank you, but I'll be fine. I know that God will deliver me." And the helicopter flew away.

Finally, the water was up at the man's neck, and rose higher and higher until it covered his mouth and was getting into his nose. And as the man was drowning, he looked up to the heavens and cursed God. "God! All my life I have trusted you and in your divine powers! Why then didn't you save me from drowning in this horrible flood?"

And a voice from the sky called down to him. "You fool!" it said, "I sent you a rowboat, a motorboat, AND a helicopter! What more did you want??"