English Original
In a small village, a severe storm caused floods that began to submerge the entire area. A priest was praying in his church as the water rose to his knees. A rescuer in a sampan (a small boat) approached the church and called out, "Father, come quickly! Otherwise, you will drown!" The priest replied, "No! I am confident God will save me. You go and save others."
Soon, the floodwaters reached the priest's chest as he stood on the altar. A police speedboat then arrived, and an officer urged, "Father, get in fast, or you really will drown!" The priest insisted, "No, I must stay with my church. I believe God will save me. You should save others."
After a while, the entire church was submerged. The priest had no choice but to cling firmly to the cross atop the church. A helicopter flew over, and the pilot lowered a rope ladder, shouting, "Father, climb up! This is your last chance. We don't want to see you drown!" The priest, strong-willed, declared, "No! I will stay with my church! God will save me. God is with me!" Finally, swept away by the flood, the stubborn priest drowned.
In heaven, the angry priest confronted God: "Lord, I devoted my life to serving You faithfully. Why did You refuse to help me?" God replied, "Refuse to help you? The first time, I sent a sampan to rescue you, but you refused, perhaps worried about its safety. The second time, I sent a speedboat, and you refused again. The third time, I sent a helicopter, but you were unwilling to accept help. So, I thought you were eager to return to my side to be with me."
In fact, many obstacles in life are caused by excessive stubbornness and ignorance.
中文翻译
一个小村庄遭遇特大暴雨，洪水开始淹没整个地区。一位牧师正在教堂里祈祷，此时洪水已涨至他的膝盖。一名救援者划着舢板（小船）来到教堂，喊道：“神父，快上来！不然你会淹死的！”牧师回答：“不！我相信上帝会救我。你去救别人吧。”
很快，洪水涨到了站在祭坛上的牧师的胸口。这时，一艘警用快艇驶来，警官催促道：“神父，快上来，否则你真的会淹死！”牧师坚持说：“不，我要守着我的教堂。我相信上帝一定会救我。你最好去救别人。”
又过了一会儿，洪水淹没了整个教堂，牧师别无选择，只能紧紧抓住教堂顶部的十字架。一架直升机缓缓飞来，飞行员放下绳梯喊道：“神父，快上来！这是最后的机会了，我们不想看到你被洪水淹死！”意志坚定的牧师仍然说：“不，我要守着我的教堂！上帝会救我的。上帝与我同在！”最终，固执的牧师被洪水卷走，淹死了。
在天堂，愤怒的牧师质问上帝：“主啊，我一生都虔诚地侍奉您，您为什么拒绝帮我？”上帝说：“我拒绝帮你？第一次，我派了一艘舢板去救你，你不肯走，我想你可能是担心小船的危险；第二次，我派了一艘快艇，你也不肯；第三次，我派了一架直升机去救你，你还是不愿意接受。所以，我以为你是想赶紧回到我身边，好与我团聚。”
事实上，生活中的许多障碍，主要是过度的固执和无知造成的。