THE MAGNITUDE OF THE REQUEST

Napoleon and his soldiers overcame an island in the Mediterranean Sea. They had fought for many days to take the island and finally succeeded. After the capture of the island at the price of many lives, Napoleon and his generals gathered for a celebration. As they were sitting around a great table, talking about the victory, they were interrupted by a young officer.

Napoleon looked at him and said, "What do you want?"

The young man looked at Napoleon and said, "Give me this island!"

The generals began to laugh. They could not believe he was forward enough to ask Napoleon for the island that they had fought so hard to win. They thought to themselves, Who does he think he is? Anyone with the audacity to make such a request of Napoleon was certainly putting his own life at risk.

But then Napoleon turned to one of his aides and asked for a pen and paper. He wrote out a deed to the island, signed it, and gave it to the young man, leaving his generals stunned and amazed.

"How could you do it?" one of the generals asked Napoleon. "What made him worthy to receive this great island?"

"I gave him this island," Napoleon replied, "because he honored me by the magnitude of his request."

(From a sermon by Ricky Nelms, Senior Moments, 7/24/2010)