| 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 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. 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 told him to
take the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."
Sometimes this is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way we think they
should. If you have faith in God, just trust that every outcome is always to your
advantage. You might not realize it until much later. |