reverendannie.myfreeforum.org :: Stories and Sermons with meaning

Rev/Scout · Site Admin

There is a good in every bad...

A friend on Facebook sent me an interesting story:

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.

Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"

To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend.

He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off."

And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long.

It was bad for me to do this." "No," his friend replied, "This is good!"

"What do you mean, 'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you."

Situations may not always seem pleasant while we are in them, but the promise of God/dess is clear. If we love God/dess and live our lives according to His/Her precepts, even that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be turned by God/dess for His/Her glory and our benefit.

How many times have you, for instance, been prevented from doing something you planned on doing?

How many times have you been prompted to do something totally bazaar, out of character, or different in some way at least than your regular routine?

How often have you found out later that it was a blessing and not a curse?

What were your reactions to the incidents in the first place (before you had all the information)?

What were your reactions after you found out what the potential outcomes may have been had the change not happened, versus the end result and potential realized?

Something to think about.

May you be blessed in your life as you seek Divine Will in every situation.

Rev/Scout