There is something to be said for humility. I remember a sermon, the Sunday following 9-11-2001. Many of us attended church that Sunday to seek comfort following the horrific acts of the preceding week. Many of us sat in the pews, asking, "What Next?" The minister called the congregation to come down front and stand as a group, unified in prayer. I'll never forget something he said just prior to leading us all in prayer. I'll never forget the look in his eye, almost as if he were speaking directly to me. He said, "if you pray with humility and sincerity, God listens." That statement has stuck with me from that day forward.
And as we closed our eyes and prayed together, I thought to myself, "if I win that car tomorrow, maybe I can donate some of the money to those poor victims" and then dismissed the notion of the contest for the next 24 hours. You see, I had recently entered my name in a drawing to win a new Dodge Durango as a fluke, not thinking anything of it at the time. On the Friday following 9-11, I was notified that I was one of five finalists. Now here I was at church, contemplating showing up for the contest just to make an appearance and see what would happen. The next day, out of thousands of entries, I won a $35,000 contest. God listened. I sold the vehicle, took a severance and made sure to make good on my promise. I donated some of the winnings to help those in need.