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 is
clear. If we love Him and live our lives according to His precepts, even
that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be turned by God for His
glory and our benefit. Hold on, God is faithful! May God bless you this week
as you seek His will in every situation.
