One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the
sand
and his
solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He
was
enjoying the
warmth of
the afternoon sun and the hope of catching a fish. About that time, a businessman came
walking down the beach trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the
fisherman sitting on the beach and
decided to find
out
why this fisherman
was fishing instead
of working hard to make a living for himself and his family. "You're not going to catch many
fish that
way,"
said the businessman, "You should be working harder rather than lying on the
beach!" The fisherman looked up, smiled and replied, "And what will my reward be?" "Well,
you can get
bigger nets
and catch more fish!"
was the
businessman's
answer. "And then
what
will my reward be?" asked the fisherman, still smiling. The businessman replied, "You will
make money and you'll be
able to buy
a boat,
which
will then result in larger catches of fish!"
"And then what will my reward be?"asked the fisherman again.The businessm
an was
beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman's questions. "You can buy a bigger boat,
and hire some people to work for you!" he said. "And then what will my reward be?" The
businessman was getting angry. "Don't you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing
boats, sail all over the world, and let your employees catch fish for you!" Once again the
fisherman asked, "And then what will my reward be?" The businessman was red with rage
and shouted at the fisherman, "Don't you understand that you can become so rich that you
will never have to work for your living again! You can spend
all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won't have a care in the world!" The fisherman, still
smiling, looked up and said, "And what do you think I'm doing right now?"
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the hom
e 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 basem
ent. 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 incom
e, lay dead in the field. The younger
angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this hap
pen?
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 the 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 farmers
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 out com
e is always to
your advantage. You just might not know it until some
time late