I forgot the guy’s name who said, “Never trust anyone over 30!” A couple of years later he turned 30 and we haven’t heard anything from him since. William James, famous professor of philosophy and psychology at Harvard University, once stated that after 30 we become set like plaster and never change. But that has been proven incorrect.

John D. Rockefeller had become the world’s only billionaire. But he was a miserable man who couldn’t sleep, had no one who loved him, and who needed bodyguards for his safety.

Then at age 53 he was stricken with a rare disease. He lost all his hair, and his body became thin and shrunken. He was given a year or so to live.

Faced with the reality of death, Rockefeller started thinking about eternal issues, and suddenly began to change. He gave away his money to help churches and the poor. He established the Rockefeller Foundation, which has underwritten critical health research. Today, we don’t remember him for his wealth, we remember him for his generosity.

His health improved, and contrary to the doctor’s prediction, he lived to be 98. Don’t tell me people can’t change.

Tags: Change, generosity, Rockefeller