Once upon a time, there lived in a village a poor old man who had a beautiful horse that helped him in his agricultural work and which was so beautiful and strong that it was known throughout the surrounding area.
One day, a prince who was impressed by the horse’s
fame and appearance, wanted to buy it, offering the old man an exorbitant sum.
However, he refused to sell his beloved horse, with which he had been attached
for so many years, and returned to his village.
-“Are you a fool?” his fellow villagers asked.
“Sell the horse for your own good, you will make a lot
of money and you will be happy!”
-“Ah, the horse helps me in my work…
And who knows what is good and what is bad?” The old
man replied, “Only God knows!”
The days passed and the horse remained the old man's
inseparable companion.
One morning he woke up and saw that his horse was
gone.
His fellow villagers gathered to express their sorrow
to him:
-“What a great misfortune that has befallen you, now
who will help you with your work?
You were a fool not to sell the horse.
Now you have neither the money nor the horse”.
The old man, with his characteristic calmness,
replied:
-“And who knows what is good and what is bad? Only God
knows!”
The villagers walked away, thinking that the old man
had gone mad.
After a few days the horse returned to the old man's
paddock, along with some other beautiful wild horses that he had encountered in
the forest.
The villagers gathered again and said to him:
-“How lucky you are! A great good has happened to you,
since now you have more horses to help you.”
The old man answered them:
-“In any case, I am pleased that my horse has
returned.”
His villagers looked at him contemptuously again.
After a few days, his son, riding one of the horses,
fell and broke his legs, leaving him helpless.
The villagers gathered again and said:
-“What a misfortune that has befallen you! With the
horses that came, you finally lost your right hand in the business – your son –
who is now suffering from the pain and may suffer for the rest of his life.”
The old man answered again:
-“Who knows… only God knows what is good and what is
bad!”
Not a week had passed since this accident, and a
neighboring country declared war on his country. So, the army passed through
his city and conscripted all the young men of the city.
Of course, they did not take his son, who had broken
legs, and so he did not take part in the fierce battles that followed.
The villagers came again and said:
-“You are very lucky, since all our sons go to be
killed in the war, while you will always have your son near you.”
And the old man answered them with tenderness:
-“We humans never know enough to judge whether
something is a blessing or a disaster. You still, my brothers, do not
understand:
Only God knows what is good and what is bad!!”
So we must show absolute trust in our God, not in
words but in deeds! Is there any chance that if we abandon ourselves like a
small child to His Will, we will ever feel sadness, anxiety, or distress? And
who knows what is good and what is bad.. Only the Lord knows!
