Timely Help, Timely Reward !

A man was asked to paint a boat. He brought with him paint & brushes & began to paint the boat a bright red, as the owner asked him.

While painting, he realized there was a hole in the hull & decided to repair it.

When finished painting, he received his money & left.

The next day, the owner of the boat came to the painter & presented him with a nice cheque, much higher than the payment for painting.

The painter was surprised: You have already paid me for painting the boat, he said. But this is not for the painting job.

It is for having repaired the hole in the boat. Ah! but it was such a small service, certainly it is not worth paying me such a high amount for something so insignificant!

My dear friend, you do not understand. Let me tell you what happened.

When I asked you to paint the boat, I forgot to mention about the hole.

When the boat dried, my kids took the boat & went on a fishing trip.

They did not know that there was a hole.I was not at home at that time.

When I returned & noticed they had taken the boat, I was desperate because I remembered that the boat had a hole.

Imagine my relief & joy when I saw them returning from fishing.

Then, I examined the boat & found that you had repaired the hole! You see, now, what you did? You saved the life of my children! I do not have enough money to pay your "small" good deed.

So, no matter who, when or how, just continue to help, sustain, wipe tears, listen attentively & carefully repair all the "leaks" you find, because you never know when one is in need of us or when God holds a pleasant surprise for us to be helpful & important to someone.

You may have repaired numerous "boat holes" along the way, of several people without realizing how many lives you have saved.

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