Angels

Generally I despise forwarded email stories and I rarely actually stop to take the time to read them. However, for some reason, I read the below little story and liked it, so I am sharing it. (Plus I am lazy about being creative enough to post my own words today.)

Relish the journey!!!

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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 small 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 so 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!"

She continued in an accusing tone of voice, "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the 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 farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife and I gave him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."

* * * * *

When things don't turn out the way we think they should, sometimes that is exactly what happens - a less awful thing occurs; you have a character building experience that prepares you for an event yet to come... You don't understand why the first awful thing happened but, if you have faith, you need to trust that every outcome, whether perceived good or bad, is to your advantage. You just might not know it until a later time.