“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” – Galileo Galilei

I first heard this story from Kennon Ferguson in Sunday School a few years back and it has stuck in my mind ever since.  Often times we are quick to say, “I understand” when we really do not.  Other times we say “I understand” when we have no clue as to what the other is going through, especially if we never walked in their shoes.

I hope you enjoy this little story. It’s author is unknown.  I’ve been “hanging” on to this for a while.

A store owner was tacking a sign above his door that read “Puppies for Sale.” Signs like that have a way of attracting small children, and sure enough a little boy appeared under the store owner’s sign. “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” the little boy asked. The store owner replied, “anywhere from $30 to $50.” The little boy reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2.37” he said. “May I please look at them?” The storeowner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur.

One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?” The store owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered that it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. “That is the puppy I want to buy.” The store owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”