Christian Living

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In Search Of A Magical Acorn
© 2005
by

Stephen A. Peterson


There is a Native American story about a woman whose only brave son died. During her period of grief, she went to the Medicine Man and said, “Medicine Man what special prayer do you have that will return to life my brave, beloved son and free me of this suffering?”

Rather than chase the woman away, rationalize or reason with her, the Medicine Man said to her, “Go get an acorn from an oak tree from a Native American home that has never know sorrow, suffering and loss. We will use the acorn to drive the sorrow out of your life and restore your life the way it was before your brave son died.”

The woman immediately went out from her town in search of that magical acorn. She came upon a large magnificent oak tree on the property of a tribal chief of another tribe. She knocked on the door then asked, “Great chief, I’m looking for a great oak tree that possesses a magical acorn. It is extremely important to me.”

“Why do you seek such an oak tree?” inquired the chief.

“If you should know, I’m looking for a person who has never known sorrow, suffering or loss. Do you know, great chief of such a person and such an oak? You have a magnificent oak tree. I thought you might be such a person. For you are known for your wisdom, fairness, patience and compassion. So you must be one who knows no sorrow, suffering or loss.”

“Brave, honest woman, you’ve traveled far, suffered much hardship and have made a tremendous sacrifice but you’ve come to the wrong place.” The chief then began to describe all of the tragedies, sufferings and loss experienced by his family, himself and his tribal community.

The woman said to herself, “Who is able to help the chief and his people than myself. I’ve suffer so much but he and his community have suffered more—much more.” The woman stayed in the town to comfort the chief, his family and his community. She stayed for 40 days and nights. After the 40 days and nights, she went on in search of the magical acorn and to find a Native American home that has never known sorrow, suffering or loss. But wherever the woman crossed the Native American communities in Oklahoma, she found one after another or sorrow, suffering and loss that moved her to stay in their communities and minister to the people in them. The woman had such pity on the people wherever she traveled and became so involved in healing people of their sorrows, sufferings and loss that she resolved the issue of having loss her only child. Soon the woman’s work with grieving persons and communities caused her to end her search for a magical acorn. The woman found something much greater than a magical acorn—she found what her mission in life is. She learned that she was to help people reconcile their sorrows, sufferings and loss.

We all, at some time in our lives, believe that we have suffered more than anyone we know. We also tend to believe that science can magically make life better by newer and newer technologies such that we can live life without God and His unconditional love. Human arrogance leads us to believe that we can circumvent God and lessen His importance in human life. If God does not step in and affect tragedies or remove sorrow, suffering and loss then God does not exist or is powerless. Such people ignore that God is good and has a greater plan the human mind can not begin to imagine.

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