When the Student is Ready, The Teacher Will Appear

A certain man caught a bird in a trap.

The bird says, “Sir you have eaten many cows and sheep in your life and you are still hungry. The little bit of meat on my bones won’t satisfy you either. If you let me go, I will give you three pieces of wisdom. One I’ll say standing on your hand. One on your roof. And one I’ll speak from the limb of that tree.

The man was interested. He freed the bird and let it stand on his hand.

“Number one: Do not believe in absurdity, no matter who says it.

The bird flew and lit on the man’s roof. “Number two: Do not grieve over what is past. It’s over. Never regret what has happened.

“By the way,” the bird continued, “In my body there is a huge pearl weighing as much as ten copper coins. It was meant to be an inheritance for you and your children. But now you have lost it. You could have owned the largest pearl in existence, but evidently it was not meant to be.”

The man started wailing like a woman in childbirth. The bird said, “Didn’t I just say, don’t grieve for what’s in the past, and also, don’t believe in absurdity. My entire body does not weigh as much as ten copper coins. How could I have a pearl that heavy inside me?”

The man came to his senses, “Alright. Tell me number three.”

“Yes, you’ve made such good use of the first two!”

“Don’t give advice to someone who is groggy and falling asleep. Don’t throw seeds on the sand.”

The story was written by Rumi, the 13th century Persian poet, jurist, theologian, and mystic.

Once again, I have been thinking about how difficult it can be to find teachers who are willing to actually educate others on how to use money and create wealth, without enriching themselves at their student’s expense. This would be OK if it represented a fair exchange of value, but often the slick self promoting scoundrels on the infomercials are just this side of what the law allows. Sometimes they are criminals and end up in prison where they belong.

My church is finally considering the possibility of offering one of the basic financial literacy courses to the congregation and the community, a no brainer I have been promoting for many years. In this particular case, I have been asked to look into Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. Of course I am somewhat acquainted with Dave Ramsey and his ideas. They are pretty typical of most Christian financial teachers. These courses teach common sense ideas like avoiding debt, budgeting, thrift, deferring gratification, and long range financial planning. The box costs $93 per family unit. That would include husband, wife, and teenaged children. It contains 13 lessons on CD, a book, some budgeting paraphernalia, and some “bonus” material. The “university” itself consists of 13 weekly meetings featuring Dave lecturing on DVD followed by small group meetings (to be coordinated by yours truly if our church decides to offer this course) that explore what has just been taught in the lecture. I expect it will be well worth $93 especially if the students are willing to learn and to apply what they learn to their lives.

In financial matters as in all areas of life, be alert, always ready to learn something new from someone who knows something you do not know. Seek wisdom wherever she can be found. It is OK for a teacher to make a living, but beware of the coyotes who ask you to believe absurd nonsense like their $3,000 trading software will allow you to become an instant millionaire. Don’t spend too much time regretting missed opportunities, more will come along, and this time you will be ready to recognize it. If you are really lucky you might find a teacher who understands that wisdom is the only commodity he can give away without becoming any poorer. For in the end, it is what we can give to our community that makes us truly happy. Perhaps the day may come when you can help someone with their first step out of debt or their first fearful attempt to begin an investment program.

Proverbs 13:20

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.