Many centuries ago there was a kingdom and in this kingdom there lived a farmer. The farmer owned a beautiful white stallion. The king of the kingdom desired the farmer's beautiful white stallion so he sent an emissary to the farmer who offered the farmer a quarter of the king's kingdom for his beautiful white stallion. The farmer said, "No, as I love my beautiful white stallion." The very next day the beautiful white stallion ran away and all of the people from the village came running out to the farmer saying, "What a bad thing that happened to you, you could have had a quarter of the king's kingdom and now your beautiful white stallion has run away." The farmer said, "I don't know if it's a good thing, I don't know if it's a bad thing, all I know is my beautiful white stallion has run away."
The very next day the farmer was in his field when he looked up on the hill beyond and saw his beautiful white stallion. Behind his beautiful white stallion were four more white stallions just as beautiful as his. All the people from the village came running out to the farmer saying, "It's a good thing you didn't trade your beautiful white stallion for a quarter of the king's kingdom, as now you have FIVE beautiful white stallions. You could probably get half of the king's kingdom now!" The farmer said, "I don't know if it's a good thing, I don't know if it's a bad thing, all I know is I now have five beautiful white stallions."
The very next day the farmer's son was breaking in one of the wild white stallions when he was thrown from the stallion and broke both of his legs. So now, all the people from the village came running out to the farmer saying, "What a bad thing that has happened to you. You need your son to work in the fields and now he can't as he has two broken legs." The farmer replied, "I don't know if it's a good thing, I don't know if it's a bad thing, all I know is that my son has two broken legs."
The very next day the kingdom goes to war and all the able-bodied men are drafted into the army after which they will go to the front end and they will surely die. The farmer's injured son could not go as he had two broken legs. So, all the people from the village came running out to the farmer saying, "That is a good thing that your son was thrown from the wild white stallion and broke both his legs, as he would have been drafted into the army, been sent to the front end and would have surely died." The farmer replied, "I don't know if it's a good thing, I don't know if it's a bad thing, all I know is my son can't go as he has two broken legs."
The moral of the story is that we are not to judge what is occurring in our life as "good" or "bad", but to have faith and trust in God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.Written By Armand
In my early AA days, we talked a lot about "projection." Loosely, that meant indulging far more in anticipation than in participation. Unlike the farmer, I am by nature impatient, negative, judgmental. By integrating all Twelve Steps into my life, however, certain truths have become apparent. Chief among these is that Fear dominated my human nature, preventing me from knowing and living through my deeper, inner nature which is fearless. It is just that simple. But not that easy. Through the awareness and presence of The Power Within me, my character defects exist only in my fear-based human nature. The farmer exists in my spiritually whole nature, and is manifested by my behavior which is as a positive, active participant and not as a judgmental, fearful observer. This gift is available to all who embrace the Big Book program of recovery and discovery. We become enabled to live as the persons we were born to be.
ReplyDeleteMichael a life lived in the will of God is a well lived life...Thank you...Armand
DeleteArmand,
ReplyDeleteAnother thought if I may. This story appears to be a somewhat secular interpretation of what I believe can be found in it’s original form in the Book of Job. Here is a brief summary of the story written by Jay Smith. I would humbly advise a through reading of the full book.
The book of Job is Narrative History. Its author is unknown yet it is possible that Job himself wrote it. It is possible that Job is the oldest of any book of the Bible written approximately 2100-1800 B.C. Key personalities of this book include Job, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, Zophar the Naamathite, and Elihu the Buzite.
In Job, we see a man who God allows to be directly attacked by Satan. He is an example of faithfulness as he loses everything important to him yet remains faithful to God. Its purpose is to illustrate God’s sovereignty and faithfulness during a time of great suffering.
• In chapters 1-3, God tests Job’s faithfulness through allowing Satan to attack him. God told Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him” (1:12). Through Job’s trials, all is lost including his health, his wife even tells him to curse God and commit suicide and be done with it, but he remains strong and faithful, “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” (1:22).
• From chapters 4-37, Job’s friends give him plenty of bad advice, in rounds of discussion. They mistakenly blame his sufferings on his personal sins rather than God testing and growing Job. One of them was half-correct in that God wanted to humble him, but this was only a part of God’s test.
• In chapters 38-42, God speaks to Job and restores him. God knows that Job has received incorrect guidance from his friends, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” God fittingly declares that humans do not know everything. Then He humbles Job by asking a series of questions that could never be answered by anyone other than Almighty God; for example, “Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this”. God then brings him to an understanding that believers don’t always know what God is doing in their lives.
In the end, Job answers God by saying, “I have declared that which I did not understand”. God then blessed Job with twice as much as he had before his trials began.
Who among us, no matter how intelligent, worldly and wise can truly declare the reason for every event that occurs in our lives. None of us can ever determine, with certainty, what will happen from this moment to the next. That is the exclusive knowledge that only God enjoys who’s sole declared purpose is to bring all things to Himself so that He and we can enjoy Him as He is. Both in this life and the next to come. If only we believe...
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic.
A Gratefully Recovering I don't know if it's a good thing I don't know if it's a bad thing but I trust in God...Thank you...Armand
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