The Power of Redemption

George came from a very poor family and as a result, he swore to himself that he would somehow find a way to become a successful man. Since George’s family was always struggling with paying the bills, he dropped out of school when he was a teenager and started to work in a printing shop.

His boss saw a lot of potential in George and took him under his wing with the hopes that George would run the shop one day. George was a very eager student and worked very hard. Eventually, one thing lead to another, and he found himself with the opportunity to run a new printing shop in the expensive part of town. George eagerly accepted the position.

George had saved up enough money so he went and got himself two new suits. He figured that since he was going to be a manager, he would need to look the part. He decided to express his thanks to God for all that he had achieved so he headed to an area in town where it was said that miracles took place.

Being that George was raised in a religious home, he wore one of his suits on his visit to an outside shrine called Miracle Hill. When George arrived, he saw a young mother carrying her paralyzed son in her arms. He overheard the mother telling a monk that she brought her son to Miracle Hill with the hope that he would be able to walk.

The young mother and son walked alongside George to the shrine. Something happened which made him kneel and all of a sudden, the young boy’s foot started to move. George noticed what was happening. As his knees got closer to the ground, the young boy’s foot would shake more. It was obvious that if George knelt to the ground, the young boy would be cured.

With this realization in mind, George looked down at the ground and saw mud. His immediate thought was that he did not want his new suit to get dirty. And so he immediately stood up and with that one action, the young boy’s foot stopped shaking. The mother could not believe what was happening and George walked quickly away from the shrine.

George felt that his action was justified given the circumstances. He never felt that he had made a wrong decision. As the years passed by, whenever he would see a man in a wheelchair, he would remember that day at Miracle Hill but he still did not feel any remorse since in his mind, life was about money and not kindness.

Eventually, George married one of the most beautiful women in town. He went on to become a very successful business man. He had three children. His children were raised in wealth and lavishness and they never knew struggle like he did.

Business was doing very well for decades until a new man came to town who was even more successful than George. This wealthy new business man was named Michael. Michael, unlike George, had a very positive reputation wherever he went. No one ever talked much about him except to say that he was a generous and kind man. No one ever said that about George. However, George for most of his life did not care what people though about him but in his older age, he had begun to rethink some of his choices.

By this time, George’s three sons also were involved in running all of the businesses that he had created. The sons suggested to their father that they invite Michael to their home with the hopes that maybe they could negotiate some type of deal from which all would benefit.

George agreed and so they went about setting up a party so that everyone could meet Michael. The party was held in George’s mansion and everyone was looking forward to Michael’s arrival.

Michael arrived on time and to the surprise of everyone, he was in a wheelchair. People did their best to conceal their shock and eventually due to the fact that many people were feeling more relaxed, one of George’s sons asked Michael about how he became a successful business man.

Michael said it started with an event that had taken place when he was a young boy. His mother, who was a very religious woman, had taken him to Miracle Hill with the hope of his paralysis being cured. When they arrived, there was a young man in a nice suit who was walking alongside of them.

The young man had started to kneel to the ground and as he kneeled, Michael recalled how his foot had started to shake. He remembered how he thought his paralysis would be cured if that young man had knelt in the mud. Michael said that instead of kneeling down fully, the young man immediately stood up and walked away.

Michael said he could not understand why that man did not kneel in the mud. He went on to say that his mother cried for days afterward and he did feel some anger towards that young man. However, as he thought more about what had happened, it occurred to him that the young man was in more pain than he for he chose not to help another in need. So he swore to himself that he would always be of service to others and that all his actions would be based with the desire to help those in need.

George heard Michael tell his story and he immediately felt sick in his stomach. For he knew that he was the young man in Michael’s story. What made him feel even worse was that his sons had not seen the point of the story for when Michael was done talking, all they did was laugh.

For the first time in his life, George felt sadness for his actions. He realized that Michael was a better man than himself and for a brief moment he wished that Michael was his son because he was noble and kind while his children were spoiled brats. George then realized that his children had followed in his footsteps to some degree because he knew that he always was more focused on money than on kindness.

Since the house was full of people, George walked outside so that he could clear his head. As he walked, his eyes filled with tears over what had become of his life. His mind kept recalling Michael’s words and with each step, he began to feel sincere remorse over the fact that he had not kneeled in the mud.

He regretted that his life was not rooted in compassion but rather in greed. With each thought, George felt more alive and he decided to just keep walking. Eventually, he found himself in front of the monastery that was located next to Miracle Hill.

He asked the monks if he could take care of the property in exchange for living at the monastery. They agreed and when they asked him his name, he told them his middle name.

Every morning when George would pray at the shrine, the monks found him in tears asking God for forgiveness. George would spend the rest of his life working at Miracle Hill. As for his family, he divorced his wife and left the corporate empire he had created.

One morning, the monks found George lying dead in the mud. In the donation box was a check from a bank account that George had kept through the years unbeknownst to anyone at the monastery.

By the end of the day, all in the nearby town knew of George’s passing. With the money that George had left, the monks renovated the shrine and on the ground where George’s body had laid, they placed a special stone with his name honoring his generous gift.

George went on to be known as the business man who became a saint. His story was told to show that it is never too late to correct a mistake.

Note: This past week, Chaundra McGill, contacted and informed me of her new e-book about how writing can help in healing your emotional life. It was a delight to read and I would love to share it with all of you. Please click herefor your copy of Chaundra’s e-book. Thank you Chaundra for sharing your creativity with all of us.

Also, here is the link to my newest article over at Tiny Buddha.

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