According to an old parable, Bart was at home when he was caught in a flood. The water was a foot high when a rescue truck offered to help him evacuate. Bart said no thanks. “God will provide.”

Then the levee broke, and the water got so high he had to climb onto the roof. A man in a rowboat came by and urged him to get aboard. Again Bart declined: “God will provide.”

Soon the waters rose even farther, and Bart had to climb to the top of the chimney. But that didn’t help, and the water swept him away. Bart yelled to the sky, “God, why have you forsaken me?”

A helicopter pilot who was maneuvering to rescue Bart heard his plea and shouted back, “God didn’t forsake you – he sent a truck, then a boat, and now this helicopter! Now use the arms He gave you and grab the rope.”

Bart reminds me of people who moan and whine about never getting the breaks other people receive while passing up opportunities that could help them get what they want. Remember the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion? They expected the Wizard of Oz to give them the one thing they thought they needed, only to find out they already possessed what they were looking for. Many of us underestimate and underuse the power within us or the resources around us.

Wanting, wishing, and worrying aren’t enough. Real success and personal happiness come to those who accept responsibility for their lives. They seize obvious opportunities, search out and find hidden ones, and make their own when necessary.

As golfer Gary Player once said, “It’s amazing. The harder I practice, the luckier I get.”

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.