Success Can Be Failure
A rehabilitation counselor took early retirement to spend the rest
of his life preaching the gospel. Early in his career he found a young
boy with several birth defects. He arranged financial and medical help.
Skilled surgeons restored the child's facial appearance. Trained
therapists taught him to speak and walk. By his teens, the boy was able
to take part in all the activities of other young people.
"What do you think has become of this young man?" the counselor
asked. One guessed he was a great athlete; another, a skilled surgeon.
"No, none of these," the retired counselor said sadly. "The young man
is a prisoner, serving a life sentence for murder. We were able to
restore his physical features and his ability to walk and act, but we
failed to teach him where to walk and how to act. I was successful in
helping the boy physically, but I failed to help him spiritually."
A rehabilitation counselor took early retirement to spend the rest
of his life preaching the gospel. Early in his career he found a young
boy with several birth defects. He arranged financial and medical help.
Skilled surgeons restored the child's facial appearance. Trained
therapists taught him to speak and walk. By his teens, the boy was able
to take part in all the activities of other young people.
"What do you think has become of this young man?" the counselor
asked. One guessed he was a great athlete; another, a skilled surgeon.
"No, none of these," the retired counselor said sadly. "The young man
is a prisoner, serving a life sentence for murder. We were able to
restore his physical features and his ability to walk and act, but we
failed to teach him where to walk and how to act. I was successful in
helping the boy physically, but I failed to help him spiritually."
