There was a small village by the river. Everyone lived happily and offered regular prayers at the village temple.
Once, during the monsoon season, it rained heavily. The river started overflowing and floodwater entered the village. People started to evacuate their homes to go to a safer place.
One man ran to the temple. He quickly went to the priest and told him, “The flood water has entered our homes and it is rising quickly. And water has also started to enter the temple. We must leave the village as in no time it will sink under the water! Everyone has set out to go to a safer place and you must come along”.
The priest told the man, “I am not an atheist like you all and I have full faith in God. I trust the God that he will come to save me. I will not leave the temple. You may go!” So, the man left.
Soon, the water level started to rise and reached waist-high. The priest climbed on to a desk. After a few minutes, a man with a boat came to rescue the priest. He told the priest, “I was told by the villagers that you are still inside the temple, so I have come to rescue you, please climb on the boat”. But the priest again refused to leave giving him for the same reason. So the boatman left.
The water kept rising and reached the ceiling, so the priest climbed to the top of the temple. He kept praying to God to save him. Soon, a helicopter came by and dropped the rope ladder for the priest to climb on and get to a safer place. But the priest refused to leave by giving the same reason again! So the helicopter left to search out and help others.
At last, when the temple nearly submerged under the water, the priest kept his head up and started complaining, “Oh Lord, I worshipped you for all my life and kept my faith in you! Why didn’t you come to save me?”
God appeared in front of him and said with a smile, “O mad man, I came to save you three times! I came running to you to ask you to leave for the safest place with other villages. Then I came with a boat, and then with a helicopter! What is my fault if you didn’t recognise me?!”
The priest realised his mistake and asked for forgiveness. He got his chance to go to the safe place one more time, which he accepted.
www.moralstories.org