Grace, a young woman who worked in banking, was heading home one stormy afternoon when something completely halted her in her tracks and chilled her to the bone. There was a teenage boy lying by a gutter that had swelled from the rain. His weak body was trembling wildly in the unrelenting rain, and he was completely motionless and unconscious. His eyes were hardly more than slits, flickering with a terrible frailty, and his lips were dry and brittle. He was literally on the verge of passing away. With a shrill cry, Grace slammed on her brakes with a start and threw herself from her automobile, racing in his direction.
“Oh
Carefully carrying him to her car, she drove quickly to the closest hospital. She would soon find out that the boy’s name was Divine. He was only fifteen years old, and he had already suffered the worst life had to offer. His kind single mother had reared him and loved him dearly. But tragedy dealt him a brutal hand one fateful afternoon when his mother died in a vehicle accident as she was en route to pick him up from school.
Her
Weakened by malnutrition and disease, he fell to the side of the overflowing gutter on that same stormy afternoon—the very location where Grace, by some miracle, found him. He was immediately taken into emergency treatment by the hospital’s medical staff.
With her hands shaking and her clothes still drenched, Grace sat outside the emergency room for what seemed like an age, desperately hoping the boy would survive. With a look of complete incredulity on his face, the doctor shook his head when he eventually came out. “This boy…” he said, his tone filled with wonder. “If you hadn’t brought him in, he wouldn’t have survived another hour.”
The tears filled Grace’s eyes. She had never heard the boy’s name before and didn’t even know him. But something in the back of her mind told her she couldn’t just leave. When Divine eventually came back and mumbled his name in a feeble voice, Grace made a choice that shocked everyone who knew her.
She didn’t leave him behind or condemn him to life on the harsh streets. She took Divine into her house, cared for him as though he were her own younger brother, and tended to him despite facing her own set of obstacles in life. But her outstanding deed of charity quickly started to cost her dearly. At first, her neighbors whispered to each other behind her back.
Her friends publicly made fun of her, saying she was wasting her life on a boy who wasn’t even related to her. Then things got out of hand and took a much more unpleasant turn, including her own family. Her husband became more and more anxious, plagued by envy and hatred, and her mother-in-law had a strong dislike for Divine.
When Grace’s husband sat her down one evening, his remarks made her feel chilly. He said icily, “I swear, I will poison that boy if you don’t get rid of him.” Grace froze, completely unable to comprehend what she was hearing. How could the man she had lived her entire life with plan to kill the boy she had so bravely rescued? However, the animosity that radiated from him just became stronger every day.
Divine heard everything, too. He heard snippets of a horrifying phone call between Grace’s husband and his mother one evening while surreptitiously hiding close to the hallway. The evil scheme was clear: if Grace obstinately refused to send Divine away, they would poison the boy before the week was out. As the sobering reality dawned on Divine that night, he lay awake with quiet tears running down his cheeks.
He came to the heartbreaking realization that his own presence was methodically tearing apart Grace’s life. He just could not stand to be the cause of her immense suffering, even if she had risked all for him. While everyone else in the house was still sound asleep at four in the morning, Divine got up silently.
He brought nothing whatsoever; he had no cash, no clear strategy, only an unwavering faith that led him. With each gentle step, his heart ached as he crept out of the house. He slipped a brief but heartfelt message into Grace’s regular work handbag—the one she faithfully carried every morning—before he left for good.
“Dear Sister Grace, Thank you for saving me,” it said. I appreciate your love for me when no one else did. You made me feel like family even if I’m not your biological relative. I shall always remember you. I really apologize for leaving. I would rather not be the cause of your happiness, your house, or your husband’s departure. I’ll live.
I’ll figure it out. And one day, I genuinely hope you’ll be proud of me. With all my love, Divine.” Grace’s hands started shaking uncontrollably when she found the letter later that morning. The words of sincere appreciation, deep affection, and heartbreaking farewell stabbed her heart like a sharp razor. She began to cry uncontrollably, frantically yelling his name and running in all directions to find him. However, Divine had disappeared into the big unknown.
The next thing that happened was something Grace could never have imagined. With nothing but unwavering confidence in his youthful heart, Divine ventured out into the icy dawn. He was convinced that the only way he could protect Grace from more suffering was to leave. He had no money, no safety net, and no family waiting for him. He still harbored a sliver of optimism that he would make it out alive somehow.
A group of vicious robbers ambushed him on his difficult trek to a strange place. He was left with nothing but excruciating bruises and a spirit broken with broken hope after they brutally beat him and took away the few belongings he had. He lay by the side of the road, sobbing uncontrollably. The terrible idea that he might be cursed and destined for a life of unending suffering tormented his young, sensitive heart. Once again, he fell headlong into the abyss of despair after just escaping death by the gutter. But he stubbornly refused to give up in the face of such devastating circumstances.
Divine wandered the bleak streets of the unknown town day after day without stopping. His clothes hung in ragged rags, his body got dangerously weak from persistent hunger, and his feet turned into a landscape of agonizing blisters. To survive, he turned to begging for meager food scraps.
On some evenings, he took cover beneath deserted market stalls, and on others, he slept on chilly, exposed sidewalks, the only company being the icy night wind. But even in his great agony, Divine retained a characteristic that many others lacked—a deep-seated humility and an unwavering faith.
Even for the slightest acts of compassion, he would always mumble a sincere “Thank you” as he bowed his head low and offered alms. He remained respectfully silent in the face of vicious mockery. He withdrew within and sought comfort in prayer when humiliated. And slowly, something very remarkable started to happen.
A man passing by stopped and watched Divine intently one calm evening as he swept outside a little store in return for some food scraps. This individual just so happened to be the owner of a modest computer repair business. He was impressed by Divine’s evident zeal, extraordinary discipline, and naturally polite manner. The man gave him something far more valuable—a chance to change his life—instead of just a few pennies.
“Come to my shop tomorrow,” he said to Divine. I’ll teach you everything I know if you’re sincere about wanting to learn.
Divine’s heart was filled with unrestrained happiness. Although he had never had any access to technology, he had always had a deep fascination with it. He worked diligently in the shop from that crucial day on, cleaning, carefully repairing tangled cables, and obligingly moving bulky crates. In contrast, Divine’s mind soaked up the material like a sponge anytime the owner showed it on the computer.
Weeks smoothly moved into months. Divine’s skills blossomed at an incredible rate. He educated himself faster than anyone could have imagined, frequently staying up late reading whatever technical handbook fragments he could find. Soon enough, he was effortlessly mending sophisticated gadgets, inventing revolutionary software, and thinking groundbreaking concepts far too wide for the tiny shop to accommodate.
And then there was the breakthrough. With the help of an old, slightly damaged laptop, Divine started to build something wholly original—a cutting-edge technological idea that would eventually completely alter the course of his entire life.
People in the neighborhood started to notice his developing skills. From one home to another, his creative fixes proliferated like wildfire. Prominent businesses soon knocked on his door, eager to work together. Investors were quick to lend their support after realizing his outstanding potential. Against all odds, Divine’s little spark had grown into a fierce fire.
Years gracefully unfurled. Divine, who was once a frail orphan teetering on the brink of death in a dirty gutter, ascended to become a formidable and widely renowned IT CEO. His company’s influence extended well beyond national boundaries, his name held significant weight in the sector, and his personal wealth increased dramatically. But despite all the wealth and recognition, he never once forgot Grace—the kind woman who had unquestionably saved his life when everyone else had mercilessly abandoned him. And Grace’s own life started a tragic decline into ruin just as Divine was at the height of his success.
She was abruptly stricken by a nasty disease that left her body weak and exhausted. In a tragic turn of events, her husband cruelly left her in her hospital bed after she lost her job. She was now disowned by the same family that she had previously given up all for. She was mercilessly ridiculed by her old acquaintances. Even her landlord and neighbors, whose brutality knew no limits, humiliated her every day. Then, one very horrible day, they cruelly cast her out onto the merciless street.
Her health was rapidly failing, her few possessions were strewn haphazardly on the floor, and everyone around her just laughed and yelled at her to get out of sight. She begged frantically for any semblance of mercy, but none at all. But none of them realized that fate was about to drastically change the course of events and completely upend her story.
The sun beat down brutally, and Grace knelt limp on the dusty ground. Her little belongings were scattered all about her. She was pleading with her landlord for a reprieve while on her knees, tears streaming down her face. “Please,” she stutteringly said, her voice hardly audible. “A few more days, please.
I’m really ill. I have nowhere else to go.” The landlord kicked her little bag aside with disdain. “You believe that I manage a charity here? Leave. Over her pathetic cries, his voice boomed, “You’re nothing.” His brutality encouraged her neighbors to openly make fun of her. Disease had completely destroyed her spirit, her body quivered wildly, and she was barely able to stand. And the loud roar of powerful engines echoed down the street just when everyone thought her life was finally done.
Abrupt commotion broke out as the powerful vehicle drew closer to the complex. A sleek, black luxury car slid to a stop just in front of the astonished audience. A strong army van arrived, following closely behind it. Two tall, commanding officers in spotless full uniforms descended from within, their presence demanding instant attention and their eyes keen.
The neighbors’ derisive laughter, which had only moments before permeated the air, abruptly vanished into a spooky quiet. The landlord stood motionless, unable to believe. Everyone just gaped in complete astonishment. The automobile door opened.
A man wearing a well-tailored suit emerged, exuding an unmistakable air of authority and respect. The years had entirely changed him, rendering him nearly unidentifiable. But there was an enormous fire in his eyes that Grace sensed deep down. It was divine. Once discovered on the verge of death beside the gutter, the boy was now a successful and powerful tech CEO, a business tycoon with enormous wealth and influence. The two giant officers in their immaculate uniforms stood behind him.
The astonished audience naturally flinched and retreated a few paces. Divine walked with a purpose, his eyes focused only on Grace. Grace gently raised her head, ashamed, rejected, and weak.
Her throat tightened with each breath. The frail youngster she had rescued had long since vanished, replaced by this strong man, so she didn’t initially recognize him. Then she noticed it, the deep expression on his face. With pure affection. With profound respect. And his own eyes were starting to brim up with tears. He immediately fell to his knees in the mud in front of her without hesitation. He lowered his head and said words that cut off any rumors in the stunned audience’s audible quiet.
“Sister. When I had nothing whatsoever, you came to my rescue. You gave me a second chance at life when the world had abandoned me. I have come back today to express my gratitude.” As Divine gently assisted Grace in standing up, tears fell down her cheeks. Then, his voice quiet but unmistakably stern, he turned to the landlord and the gathered neighbors. “I am alive now because of the woman you so blatantly spurned.
They looked deeply ashamed. “The stone you so heedlessly tossed aside is, in fact, the very foundation of my life.” The same lips that had so viciously derided her were suddenly completely speechless.
As one of the army officers painstakingly gathered Grace’s dispersed possessions, Divine held her hand tenderly. Thereafter, they led her cautiously inside the opulent vehicle. The landlord and neighbors were left completely surprised and humiliated in their wake as the automobiles magnificently drove away, leaving them to watch with sad sorrow.
That day forever altered Grace’s life, leaving it never the same. Divine bought her a splendid home, tastefully decorated with all the conveniences and exuding a deep feeling of grandeur. Her health unexpectedly improved after he took her overseas to receive the best medical treatment available. He gave her a position of dignity and declared her to be the real matriarch of his household, the one he would always love. Divine celebrated his nuptials a year later.
It was a beautiful, sophisticated, and incredibly joyful party that was unlike any other. Grace stood at his side with pride, playing the part of a devoted mother and a respected older sister. God had orchestrated the full restoration of her life through the person she had once carried from the gutter.
The once-rejected woman rose to fame and adoration. The world would never forget the touching tale of a kindhearted banker who saved a dying orphan, and how that same orphan rose to restore the life she had so cruelly lost. Without exception, each and every act of kindness has a special reward.
Never undervalue the tiny, apparently unimportant seed you sow in someone’s life because one day it can grow into a majestic tree that provides you with much-needed shade. God never overlooks love, sincere compassion, and selfless sacrifice. In ways we may hardly comprehend, kindness always returns full circle and is never wasted. To many at the time, Grace’s choice to save and take care of a defenseless orphan seemed like pure folly.
Years later, though, that same deed of generosity turned out to be her greatest and most surprising gift. Even the smallest act of compassion or love always matters. It constantly comes back, frequently in ways we can’t even fathom. It turns out that rejection does not mean that one’s destiny is over. When Grace was at her most vulnerable, she was ridiculed, left behind, and brutally expelled.
Her extraordinary tale, however, is a potent reminder that rejection is frequently only a prelude, a heavenly arrangement for final reconciliation. Later, the same people who had laughed at her so viciously bowed their heads in deep embarrassment. The least expected person among us is frequently selected by a higher power to effect profound transformation in people’s lives.
Against all odds, Divine—a youngster who had once been wallowing and dying in a gutter—rose to become the precise thing that brought Grace healing and her victorious honor. As a result, you should never undervalue the people you meet today. They may be the very people God picks to encourage you to be better tomorrow.
