Grandpa Said

A young boy sat at his grandfather’s feet and asked him, “Grandfather how did you get to be so smart?”
The old man thought for a minute then said, “ Wisdom only comes form lessons we learn. The lessons come from the life we live. The life we live comes from the choices and mistakes we make. Learn from the mistakes of others ---- you can never live long enough to make them all yourself. ”

God gave each of us a free will to make choices. That is what sets us apart form the animals. We are free to choose right or wrong. Will we always choose the right probably not. Sometimes God will allow us to make the wrong choice to show us how to make the right choice.
I am thinking about a story about a Lakota boy and his grandfather. They were walking on a snow cover path returning home from a hunting trip. The boy full of energy would run ahead and then stop and wait as the old man slowly made his way through the deep snow. As they approached a hill the boy noticed this hill led to a short cut through a small valley. He shouted, “Grandfather let’s take the summer path and we will get home sooner and can get warm.” The old man ignored the boys urging and continued to trudge through the deep snow. “’I will race you home you go over the hill and I will take the summer path.”, the boy shouted. “Go if you must.” was his grandfather’s reply.
The boy started down into the valley knowing he would be home and warm way before his grandfather. As the old man watched the boy disappear over the hill, he stopped and removed a rope from his pack. He tied a large knot in one end of the rope. With a sigh he turned and followed the boys tracks into the valley. The boy was nowhere to be seen. His trail was plain but a short way into the valley the tracks ended. The old man followed to the end of the tracks and put his pack down in the snow. Tying the rope securely around his waste he began to swing the large knot to throw it to the last track the boy had made in the snow. As the rope fell into the hole at the last track he shouted, “Grab the knot and I will pull you out of that hole.” The rope stayed slack for a long time. Again he shouted, “You will only get colder if you stay in that hole. Grab the knot and I will pull you out.” The rope grew taught as the embarrassed boy grabbed the knot. The old man pulled on the rope as a snow covered cold boy slowly climbed out of the hole. “ How did you know where to throw the rope grandfather?”, ask a very cold but grateful boy. “From a lesson I learned when I was a boy the old man replied.”
God lets us make our own choices. When we fall in a hole he will be there to pull us out. It is our duty to learn not to fall into that hole again.