My love for reading and exploring started with the small library my mother made in my room. It grew into a passion that led me to join the national library. I used to go there every weekend, read random books, and take home a few that resonated with me.
That went on for years until the internet became a thing. Those days that we went to internet cafés, paid to use the computer and internet for an hour, then went home. Out of habit, the first thing I ever searched on the internet was ‘short stories with life teachings’. And I got one that, reading it again last week, stood the test of time. Let me share the story with you.
Once upon a time, there was a village that had many years of rain, harvest, food, and greenness. This time, things were different; the village was dry, with no rain, rivers dried out, and no food available. The elders of the village called a meeting, and their recommendation was everyone has to pray to the Gods.
Villagers gathered in open ground for an unusual prayer session. They all agreed to pray to any God that anyone believed would spare them some rain. Hundreds of the villagers came.
In the praying crowd, one thing stood out: a young girl with an umbrella and rain boots. The sight surprised the villagers. They asked her why she had come with an umbrella and rain boots when it hadn’t rained for years. She smiled and said, “When you pray for rain, get ready to get wet and experience the mud too.”
That was one of the shortest but most enlightening stories ever told. It addressed the power of beliefs in life. I was young at that time, and I was praying for a lot of things in life. I prayed to be among the best students in school. I prayed to get a job. I prayed to one day start a business. I prayed to own a car.
Deep down, I didn’t believe it would happen in my lifetime, so I wasn’t living my life in alignment with my prayers. Like the villagers who prayed for rain but didn’t really believe it would come while they prayed.
We cannot condemn the villagers to think like that; it is in human nature to fight with beliefs. When we were young, we believed we could do anything, and life had ways to make our belief work. We would cry if we didn’t get what we wanted. People around us would find ways to suggest that we should wait, and that it would eventually come.
Reaching adulthood, we started having complicated relationships with belief. We believed a lot of things would happen that never happened. We had so many wishes that never came true. We had so many dreams that turned into nightmares. We started having a casual belief that things might or might not happen.
Our belief issues lead to two problems. First, we stop believing that things are possible for us. Second, we do not prepare for all that comes with the things we wish for. And all those keep on confusing us.
How often have you seen people achieve the unimaginable and thought it could never happen to you?
How often have you wanted to do something big, but your family and friends said you can’t?
How many people have you discouraged people for trying something ambitious?
The answer to all the questions are “many times”. And it is not like you, your family and friends are so pessimistic, but its common.
The villagers shared the same mindset. They agreed to pray for rain simply because they were asked. Not because they believed their prayers would work, at least not at the time of praying. Possibly, they have prayed so many times before, and it never worked anyway.
You should know this: miracles do happen, and efforts do bring results. It might not come at the time and in the way you want and have worked for, but it will come for sure. Learn to believe in your prayers and efforts.
Now, when prayers and the results of our efforts come, they come with a lot.
You pray to get a partner in life, get married and build a happy family. You don’t prepare for what comes with a partner, marriage and raising a family. You argue and fight over things because your partner was raised differently from you. Your partner’s expectations and demands come from having different values and needs. Late nights and early mornings during pregnancy and raising a kid.
You pray to have money and be rich; you don’t prepare for all the challenges of having money and being rich. Strangers ask for help all the time. Family and friends treat you as a source of income. Almost everyone is trying to steal from you or getting something from you.
A promotion at work means more responsibility. You might face envy from colleagues. It often leads to longer hours and weekends spent working. When you pray and work hard for a promotion, remember it’s not just about a bigger salary, a higher position, or more status. There is more.
As your business grows, you’ll get more customers. This means more complaints to manage. It will come with more competition who will fight you for the same market. It will come with copycats, headaches to deal with, and more people. It will also come with friends, family, and strangers asking you for money favours all the time.
Praying for fame in your career would not only bring the perks of fame that you wish to have. It will come with the public scrutinising your life on a daily basis. It will come with random people asking for help. Your failure to do some trivial things will come with the pressure of being seen and ruining your image.
We usually pray and make an effort to get things in our lives and not prepare for all the things that come with them. Many people either regret their success or fail to enjoy what they have.
It’s like the villagers praying for rain. They would surely complain if it rained immediately and they ended up wet and muddy.
In your life, be like that brave little girl; always carry your umbrella and rain boots.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you find peace and joy.
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#iThinkSo
Rogers Katuma
Financial Artist, Senior Adventurer, Occasional Storyteller, and Amateur Golfer
