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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
 Posted - 02/06/2013 : 17:27:21
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Lessons From An Inchworm
by Shawn Smith- written on June 20, 2006
"Have you heard that it was good to gain the day? I also say it is good to fall, battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won." - Walt Whitman, Songs of Myself.
"Soon will We show them Our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth) and in their own souls until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?-" Holy Quran Surah Ha-Mim Surah 41
On a recent cool and breezy spring morning I sat under a pine tree in a park near my home. I was ruminating about my current troubles, the aches and pains in my body and the state of the world in general. To say the least I was depressed and did not arrive at any easy solutions to my and the world's plight. It seemed, lately, that all my prayers went unanswered and that the heavens were like brass. As I sat there, I sought direction in a book I held in my hand which was written by some academic egghead.
After a brief pause from my reading I looked up and there before me was a single, solitary inchworm. It was ever so slowly moving upward on an invisible thread. The wind was blowing and the worm swayed back and forth. I expected that it would not successfully arrive at its intended destination due to the difficulties it had to encounter.
I watched the worm for a minute or two and then, becoming impatient with its progress, I continued on with my reading. The worm paid no heed to what I thought nor was it discouraged over my impatience. It continued on with its upward ascent despite the difficulties it was facing.
After some moments I looked up again and the worm had moved up a few more inches, but again I did not have the patience to concentrate on what it was doing. I had my own problems and had no time for worms, so I returned to my book.
Some minutes later I looked up yet again and there I witnessed the worm climb unto the tree branch on which the thin thread was attached. The worm had made it despite my doubts and impatience.
Every single moment of my existence I am being taught lessons which seek to equip me with the ability to live a full life and provide the direction I need. Sadly, I am not always attuned to these lessons and miss out on some precious opportunities. I cry out to God to give me a sign or some kind of direction, and yet that which I seek is sitting right in front of me. And such was the incident of the inchworm. Regardless of what others may think, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles and apparent impossibility of achieving that which I set out to do in life, I must, like the inchworm, keep trying. Success is not measured by whether I reach my destination or not, but lies in the effort that I make to get there.
There are those who only applaud the "victors," or those who come out on top. They are given awards, public recognition and many accolades are made in their favour. But I applaud all those little inchworms who plug along with no thought of what others say, think or do. Their spirit of perseverance and determination, whether they reach their destination or not, makes them the real victors.
I will read many more books in my lifetime and some of them will provide me with valuable information, but the lesson I learned from the inchworm on that cool and breezy spring day is the most precious one of all. |
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Inspirational reading
