Things are not always what they seem to be……………

Two travelling wise men stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.  The family was rude and refused to let them stay in the mansion’s guest room.  Instead the wise men were given a small space in the cold basement.  As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older wise man saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.  When the younger wise man asked why, the older man replied, ‘things are not 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 wise men sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning they 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 man was infuriated and asked the older wise man how could you have let this happen?  The first man had everything, yet you helped him, he said very infuriated.  The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die. ‘Things are not always what they seem,’ the older man 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 would not find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came to take the farmer’s wife and I gave him the cow instead. Things are not always what they seem.’

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things do not turn out the way they should.  If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage.  You just might not know it until sometime later.  Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some become friends and stay awhile, leaving beautiful footprints on our hearts and we are never quite the same because we have made a good friend.