Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho, Margaret Jull Costa Read Free Book Online Page B

same meal and using exactly the same ingredients, but one is pouring Love into what he does and the other is merely trying to fill his belly. The result will be completely different, even though Love is not something that can be seen or weighed.
    The person making the Offering is always rewarded. The more he shares out his affection, the more his affection grows.
    When the Divine Energy set the Universe in motion, all the planets and stars, all the seas and forests, all the valleys and mountains were given the chance to takepart in the Creation. And the same thing happened with mankind.
    Some said: “No, we don’t want to. We won’t be able to right wrongs or punish injustice.”
    Others said: “With the sweat of my brow I will water the fields, and that will be my way of praising the Creator.”
    Then the devil came and whispered in his honeyed tones: “You will have to carry that rock up to the top of the hill, and, when you get there, it will roll back down again to the bottom.”
    And all those who believed in the devil said: “The only meaning in life is to repeat the same task over and over.”
    And those who did not believe in the devil answered: “Then I will love the rock that I have to carry to the top of the mountain. That way, each minute by its side will be a minute spent closer to the one I love.”
    The Offering is a wordless prayer. And like all prayers, it requires discipline—not the discipline of slavery, but of free choice.
    There is no point in saying: “Fate was unfair to me. While others are following their dreams, here I am just doing my job and earning my living.”
    Fate is never unfair to anyone. We are all free to love or hate what we do.
    When we love, we find the same joy in our daily activity as do those who one day set off in search of their dreams.
    No one can know the importance or greatness of what they do. Therein lies the mystery and the beauty of the Offering: it is the mission that was entrusted to us, and we, in turn, need to trust it.
    The laborer can plant, but he can’t say to the sun: “Shine more brightly this morning.” He can’t say to the clouds: “Make it rain this evening.” He has to do what is necessary: plow the field, sow the seeds, and learn the gift of patience through contemplation.
    He will experience moments of despair when he sees his harvest ruined and feels that all his work was in vain. The person who has set off in search of his dreams will also have moments when he regrets his decision, and then all he wants is to go back and find a job that will pay him enough to survive.
    The following day, though, the heart of every worker or every adventurer will once again be filled with euphoria and confidence. Both will see the fruits of the Offering and will be glad.
    Because both are singing the same song: the song of joy in the task that was entrusted to them.
    The poet would die of hunger if there were no shepherds. The shepherd would die of sadness if he could not sing the words of the poet.
    Through the Offering you are allowing others to love you. And you are teaching others to love through what you offer them.

 
    And the same man who had asked about work asked another question:
    “Why are some people luckier than others?”

 
    And he answered:
    Success does not come from having one’s work recognized by others. It is the fruit of a seed that you lovingly planted.
    When harvest time arrives, you can say to yourself: “I succeeded.”
    You succeeded in gaining respect for your work because you did not work only to survive, but to demonstrate your love for others.
    You managed to finish what you began even though you did not foresee all the traps along the way. And when your enthusiasm waned because of the difficulties you encountered, you reached for discipline. And when discipline seemed about to disappear because you were tired, you used your moments of repose to think about what steps you needed to take in the future.
    You were not paralyzed