In plain sight...

Once, a very religious man sat in front of his TV watching the terrifying news of the impending storms. Warnings were blaring for residents to evacuate as the rivers were estimated to rise far above normal levels and floods were certain. But, he sat quietly with his belief that his God would save him - no need for alarm.

Sure enough, after a while, the rains came and the waters began rising. The man stayed calmly in his house. The door bell rang and it was his neighbor, Jim. Jim said, "come on, old man, let's get out of here." But the man, steadfast in his belief said, "thank you, but no, my God will save me." Jim hesitated but left.

A few hours later, the water was still rising. With water now up to his hips, the old man went upstairs. As he stood looking out his window, a rescue worker came floating up in a canoe and said, "Hey! Get in, I'll take to you dry land." But, the old man, still calm and now praying, said, "Thank you, but no, my God will save me." The rescue worker didn't want to leave him there, but had no other recourse, so eventually paddled to the next house to check on residents.

As the waters continued to climb, the old man was relegated to the roof in order to stay out of the rushing waters. As he stood on the peak of his house, a helicopter came by and dropped a rope. The rescuer above said, "Grab on! We'll bring you up and take you to safety!" But, the old man - a believer to the end - once again declined with the statement, "Thank you, but no, my God will save me." In a flash, the waters washed over the top of the house and the man was swept away.

When the old man arrived at the pearly gates, he was disillusioned. He took the first chance he got and asked, "my God, I believed you would save me, but you did not and now I have died...I don't understand."

And, God said, "I sent you a neighbor, a canoe and a helicopter - what more do you want?"