The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Once on a journey, a Rabbi and his students were refused hospitality at a certain town. Instead of being upset, the Rabbi said: "Whatever God does is for the good!" However, the group had to spend the night in a field.
The Rabbi brought along a donkey, a rooster to awaken him early, and a lamp for studying scripture. That evening, as he was studying, a wind blew out his lamp. Then a cat pounced on his rooster and ate it. Finally, a prowling lion ate his donkey. The Rabbi's reaction to all this was:
"Whatever God does is for the good!"
Late that night, marauding troops raided the town and took all its inhabitants captive. The next morning, the Rabbi and his students discovered what happened. Then he reminded his students: "Didn't I tell you, whatever God does is for the good! If the lamp would have been shining or the rooster would have crowed, or the donkey would have brayed, we too, would have been taken captive."
This lesson in everyday life is extremely important. If we realize that everything is by Divine Providence and that we cannot always see the full picture, we would have a much easier time coping and proceeding through life.
And perhaps if we look closely, we may even at times understand how the things we perceive as negative are really for our good.
this message lifted my spirits, and hope it will lift yours too.
Thanks search for the "fruitful reminder." When things go against the grain or my will, I look for "A Higher Good." It provides hope, and sometimes, without my knowing it, my HP is testing me to check my faith in any given situation.
Appreciate the insight, again, I always need to be reminded. Guess that is why I continue to commit to recovery, not relapse (consequently, despair)!
thank you all for your replies to this post. it feels so good to know that others also got something out of a message that really spoke to me, as well. i have printed this one out so i remember this more than maybe just once a year!!!! lol!
it is sooo easy to lose sight of the fact that hp sees the big picture when it appears to us that it's a negative thing that has happened in our lives. and such a comfort to know, that even though we tend to be very short-sighted and maybe even freak out about things...hp STILL sees the big picture and carries out His will, huh? in spite of our humaness!!! what a wonderful hp we have!
