"I Did It All By Myself"

"I Did It All By Myself"

I heard an amazing story about an interesting conversation between a self-made millionaire and his pastor.

The self-made millionaire said, "I started out with nothing.My parents were broke and didn't give me a thing. I put myself through school. And from the time I was a kid till now, nobody's ever given me anything."

The pastor asked, "You did it all by yourself?" The man said,"That's right." The pastored asked, "And nobody's ever given you a thing?" The man replied, "Not a thing."

Well, let me ask you this," said the pastor. "Who gave you life? Who gave you your marvelous brain, your talents, your natural abilities? Who changed your diapers and put food on your table as a child? Who taught you how to read and write? Who spent hours, weeks, and years educating you?"

The pastor continued, "Who gave you your first job? Who mentored you in business? Who lent you money to start your own business? Who raised a little girl and nutured her into a woman who could give you herself, her love, and your children?"

Still the pastor questioned him, "Who buys your products? Who takes care of your customers and manages your offices?" Who gave you your health? Who cleans your home, your office buildings, and the toilets?"

The pastor finished by saying, "If you can still look me in the eye and tell me you've done it all by yourself and that nobody has ever given you anything, then my last question is: Who has blinded your eyes and given you such a foolish, arrogant, and ungrateful heart?"

The self-made millionaire was silent for a few moments. It was one of those eureka moments.

He said, "What do I have that I haven't been given?"

Footnote: This self-made million started a letter writing campaign. He wrote to everyone who had influenced his life and said, "Thank you!" This man's name is John Marks Templton and he said in his autobiography, "For more than 30 years my family sent Thanksgiving cards rather than Christmas cards to our friends, desiring to spread our gratitude for the many gifts of life."