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A woman standing on the 44th floor of a building was about to jump to her death. All attempts to lure her back had failed. A man called his pastor to see if he could help. When he arrived, he said to her, “I am sorry that you believe no one loves you.” The woman replied,” Oh, my grandchildren and children love me.” “Then why do you want to die?,” the pastor asked. Suddenly, as she thought about others, she lost her desire to die. We often find great fulfillment when we focus on others. That’s what happened to Noah. As he emerged from the ark, looked around, and realized all humanity was now gone except himself and his family, he was filled with gratitude toward God. His first activity upon leaving the ark was not to build a home, but to build an altar. He focused on God to express gratitude for what God had done in preserving him. We read in Genesis 8:20, “Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. Then Noah built an altar to the LORD.” Before the flood, Noah’s attitude of trust and obedience toward God moved him to build an ark that preserved his life, his family, and the human race. After the flood, his attitude of gratitude moved him to worship God, and moved God to establish a covenant with him. We ought to adopt the values that made Noah great.
