Basket of Grapes

 

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” ~ Alphonse Karr

Once upon a time, there was a Kingdom with a King who had a huge fruit garden in his palace. Various types of fruits were grown there. A farmer and his family used to take care of that entire garden and daily the farmer would pick fresh fruits and bring them to the palace for the King.

One day, the farmer saw that coconut, guava, plums, and grapes were ready to eat. He spent a moment thinking about what to pick for the King that day. After thinking for a while, he decided to take grapes. He filled his basket with grapes and set out to the palace.

When the farmer reached the palace, he saw that the King was lost in thought and also seemed angry. He therefore set the basket of sweet and juicy grapes in front of the King and sat at a distance.

Lost in thought, the King would pick a grape, eat it, and then pull out one and throw it, aiming at the farmer’s forehead. None of those thrown missed its target.

Every time a grape hit the farmer’s forehead, he said, “God is very merciful.”

After a while, the King realized what he was doing and also registered the farmer’s response.

Remorseful, the King called the farmer and apologized for hitting him on the forehead. He also wondered why the farmer responded with ‘God is very Merciful.’

The farmer explained, “Your Majesty, today coconut, guava, and plums were also ready to be served to you but I brought only grapes. Had I brought guava, plums, or coconuts, what would be my condition right now? That is why I am saying, God is very merciful.”

And the lesson for today is:

God makes many of our troubles very light and saves us from them. Yet, we don’t realize the mercy of God on us – it could have been worse! When we face trouble, we start blaming God for it instead of seeing the possibility that he has already gone ahead to make it light for us to be able to bear.

Henceforth, before you shake your fist at God, peer into the dark and try to identify who is hiding in the shadows. He may be closer than you think.

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.” ~ Og Mandino

 

Adapted from www.moralstories26.com  

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 7, 2023 at 9:12 AM

    Interesting piece

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 9, 2023 at 4:34 PM

    So timely. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 9, 2024 at 7:24 PM

    Thought about you today and coincidentally this is the first blog I re-read

    ReplyDelete

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