Trust Your Higher Power, But Tie Up Your Camel
There was once a man who was on his way back home from market with his camel and, as he’d had a good day, he decided to stop along the road and offer his thanks to his Higher Power.
He left his camel outside and went in and spent several hours offering thanks to, praying and promising that he’d be a good person in the future, help the poor and be an upstanding pillar of his community.
When he emerged it was already dark and lo and behold – his camel was gone!
He immediately flew into a violent temper and shook his fist at the sky, yelling: “You traitor, God! How could you do this to me? I put all my trust in you and then you go and stab me in the back like this!”
A passing sufi dervish heard the man yelling and chuckled to himself.
“Listen,” he said, “Trust your Higher Power but, you know, tie up your camel.”
This is the classic answer for those who believe that their faith alone will carry them through life. Innocence can indeed be a valuable shield but there are basic measures that have to be taken just as a matter of common sense.
No amount of belief is going to change the basic facts of living in this world.
Action is the key.
- See also
- SPIRITUAL AWAKENING
- The Guy in the Mirror
- 12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery
- Stools and Bottles
- Dysfunctional Thinking Fantasies
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2 Responses
2 Comments
Thanks Greg,
It is amazing how long I took to understand this.
I agree completely. Someone once said, “Without God, man cannot, but without man, God will not.” I believe that we need to both show our willingness (through prayer) and do our part (through our actions). Have a good one!