Who Knows if it is Good or Bad?

There once was a poor, old farmer. One day his only horse ran away. His neighbor said, “How unfortunate that your horse ran away. Now you can’t plow your field.” The farmer replied, “Who knows if it is good or bad?” The next day the horse returned, leading twenty wild horses. The neighbor said, “How wonderful! Now you are a rich man.” The farmer replied, “Who knows if it is good or bad?” The next day, his only son broke his leg while trying to tame one of the horses. The neighbor said, “What a tragedy. Now your son is crippled.” The farmer replied, “Who know if it is good or bad?” The next day, the army came to the village and drafted all the young men to fight in a war far away. The farmer’s son was the only one spared.

All the years my son was growing up, I tried every possible treatment for his autism. And I prayed. Oh how I prayed. The Bible said that if my faith was as big as a mustard seed I could move mountains. What kind of lousy faith did I have if I could not make one little boy better?

Then one morning when James was a teenager, I passed the partially open bathroom door as he was brushing his teeth. He was looking in the mirror and making faces and laughing. As I walked by I heard him say with such exuberant enthusiasm, “It’s GREAT to be James!”

Wow. All those years I thought it must be terrible to be James. And all those years he thought being James was terrific.

I guess my faith was as big as a mustard seed after all. I did move a mountain. The mountain was me.