Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.
As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.” The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.
After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, “How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him,” she accused. “The second family had little, but was willing to share everything, and you let their cow die.” “Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied.
“When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it.” “Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”
Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don’t turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until sometime later.
The Book of Romans has this to say: Romans 8:28 (NIV) and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
The story is told of a man in China who raised horses for a living. When one of his prized stallions ran away, his friends gathered at his home to mourn his great loss.
After they had expressed their concern, the man raised this question: “How do I know whether what happened is bad or good?”
A couple days later the runaway horse returned with several strays following close behind. The same acquaintances again came to his house – this time to celebrate his good fortune. “But how do I know whether it’s good or bad?” the old gentleman asked them.
That very afternoon the horse kicked the owner’s son and broke the young man’s leg. Once more the crowd assembled to express their sorrow over the incident. “But how do I know if this is bad or good?” the father asked again. Well, only a few days later, war broke out. The man’s son, however, was exempted from the military service because of his broken leg.
Yes, you guessed it, the friends again gathered--but we’ll stop the story there. You can easily see how it could go on and on. This tale points out that from our limited human perspective, it’s impossible to know with certainty how to interpret the experiences of life.
You know what we can do? Trust God. I guess the great novelist says it correctly, Victor Hugo says: “When you have accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace; God is awake.” This is why He came, He rose and this is why He comes again.
A Blessed Christmas to you and your family.
(Mark your calendar, as Francis Kong runs his highly acclaimed Level Up Leadership seminar-workshop on Jan. 16-17, 2018 at SEDA Hotel, BGC. For registration and inquiries contact April at +63928-559-1798 or register online at www.levelupleadership.ph)