By Rick Moore
Not only was he the most beloved physician in town, he was also the president of the Mississippi County Woodworkers Association. After the death of his wife, Dr. Sullivan decided to retire and sell his practice. He had always been a very charitable person, but at this season of his life, he wanted to give back to society in a more meaningful and lasting way. After a year of praying, evaluating and consulting with friends, he moved to a small Caribbean Island he had once visited. This island had no physician or medical clinic at all. He knew his knowledge as a doctor could benefit the island. However, after visiting the people for several days, it became clear that simply volunteering his time to provide medical attention would not be enough: They desperately needed his expertise, but they also needed medicine and emergency supplies. This is when he learned how important it is to have more than one talent.
Dr. Sullivan built a woodworking shop on the island. He brought over the tools he had used for years, and purchased many more. With decades of connections in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Sullivan made a deal with an international distributor of medicine whose cargo ship would pass by his island once a month. The doctor would design and build beautiful furniture, bring the furniture to the seashore, and would then trade the furniture for medicine. This bartering relationship worked beautifully. Every month the cargo ship stopped to pick up some of the furniture the doctor had built, and then they would leave behind life saving medicine and supplies. The health of the locals began to improve greatly, and Dr. Sullivan became extremely rejuvenated by the success of this venture. He was seeing as many patients in his years of retirement as he had when he owned a practice on the mainland.
One day, an elderly woman from a distant village came to Dr. Sullivan for help. He knew there was a specific medicine that could save her life, but it was very expensive. When the cargo ship arrived to port that month, they said they did have that specific medicine on board, but even a year’s worth of furniture would not be enough to barter for this precious life saving drug. The captain of the cargo ship made Dr. Sullivan an offer: He would hand over the lifesaving medicine if the doctor gave him all of his tools. What a conundrum! If the doctor did not make the deal, the women would surely die. If he did make the deal, there would be no furniture to sell the following month to help the rest of the locals. Dr. Sullivan looked into the eyes of this elderly woman and knew what the right decision was. He turned over the tools, administered the medicine, and days later, the woman was healthy and feeling great.
As the doctor walked the shoreline of the island contemplating if he should order more tools or change his approach, he observed one of the islanders making a beautiful chair out of wicker. He asked that person to teach him how to do the same. Then he invited everyone on the island to come learn how to make wicker furniture. Weeks later, the captain of the cargo ship was debating if he should even stop by the island. After all, the doctor had sold all his tools, so surely there wouldn’t be any furniture worth trading for. Yet, something compelled the captain to sail by the shore of the island anyway. When he did, he was astonished. As far as the eye could see, there was more furniture lined up waiting to be traded than ever before. The men on the cargo ship had never seen such beautiful wicker furniture.
The doctor discovered something much more important than his talents or his tools. He discovered the people around him. How important are the people around you?
Rick Moore is the Communications Pastor of Destiny Worship Center
