By Fr. Adolf Washington –
“Why should a ‘good God’ allow suffering?” is an eternal question rattling the Human Mind. Yet there are so many incidents in our own lives appearing bad but turn out what we ourselves call “a blessing in disguise”. In some ways it does answer that eternal question.
A king enjoyed the company and the wisdom of Jewish Rabbis as much as he did his forest jaunts. As a treat, he took a Rabbi with him into the forest and encouraged him to try his shooting skills. The Rabbi said “Sire I am only a Rabbi. I haven’t held a rifle all my life”. After much prodding, the Rabbi took the rifle a few furlongs into the forest. The Rabbi pulled the trigger. He heard a scream. He had accidentally shot the king’s arm. The King’s respect turned to rage. He had the Rabbi thrown in the darkest dungeon.
With a wounded arm the adventurous king ventured again into the forest. Danger struck. Cannibals captured him. His soldiers escaped. He was sure to be eaten. But the Cannibal chief screamed “Look. We have a bad omen. This creature’s body is wounded. Let go, lest evil befall us”.
The king headed straight to the Rabbi in the dungeon saying “Holy Rabbi. If you didn’t shoot at me, I wouldn’t be alive”. He elevated the Rabbi to the highest ranks of advisors. But the Rabbi said “Thank you Sire. I would have been eaten by those cannibals if you didn’t throw me in this dungeon”.
When you truly love God, good things happen somewhere to someone even when you can’t comprehend Divine Providence.
Sample these. You pray for the rains to cease; a poor farmer prays for rains. You pray for relief from the scorching sun; the farmer prays for sun to dry his grain. You pray for a salary-raise; a youngster is praying for employment. You pray for a better house; a refugee prays for a land to call his own.
Though mysterious, God’s ways serve a loving purpose. “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mathew 5:45) and ‘all things work together for good, for those who love God’ (Romans 8:28)
With real Faith you can count your ‘blessings in disguise’.