PERSPECTIVE

I read the following story and found it worth sharing.

'There was once a man who always said, “this is good” to everything that happened to him. He went with his king on a shooting trip, loaded the guns and the king shot them. He loaded one gun wrong and when it went off it shot the king’s thumb off. Faced with this situation, the friend said as usual, “this is good.” Well, the king got livid and cast his friend in confinement. “No, this is not good.”

About a year later, the King goes on another hunting trip to an area where there are cannibals. The cannibals capture and apprehend him, tie his hands and feet and tie him to a stake to cook for dinner. As they come near, they find the King’s finger is shot off. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who wasn't whole. So, they set the king free.

As he returned home, the king felt guilty about putting his friend in jail for a year. So, he goes to the jail and apologizes to his friend. He explained what had happened to him and says, “I’m very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad of 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?”
"Well", replied the friend, “If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you!”.

This story paints a perfect picture of how important it is to see situations in the right perspective. Having the right perspective helps you maintain a good attitude even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. It also helps you develop a grateful heart and builds character.

The story also reminds me of Joseph in the Bible. When he had become Prime Minister in Egypt and revealed himself to his brothers, they threw themselves at his feet, apologizing for their mistreatment of him. Joseph's response was,                         

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20).

 

It's not an easy discipline to cultivate, having the right perspective, simply because we are limited by how far ahead we can see into the future. Oh, that I could have the power of foresight, but like they say hindsight is a wonderful thing!