Proverbs 25:8-13 (MSG)
8 Don’t jump to conclusions—there may be
a perfectly
good explanation for what you just saw.
9-10 In the heat of an argument,
don’t betray
confidences;
Word is sure to get around,
and no one will
trust you.
11-12 The right word at the right time
is like a
custom-made piece of jewelry,
And a wise friend’s timely reprimand
is like a gold
ring slipped on your finger.
13 Reliable friends who do what they say
are like cool
drinks in sweltering heat—refreshing!
This story happened in the days of Lao Tzu in China, and
Lao Tzu loved it very much:
There was an old man in a village, very poor, but even
kings were jealous of him because he had a beautiful white horse . . . Kings
offered fabulous prices for the horse, but the man would say, "This horse
is not a horse to me, he is a person. And how can you sell a person, a
friend?" The man was poor, but he never sold the horse. One morning, he
found that the horse was not in the stable. The whole village gathered and they
said, "You foolish old man! We knew that someday the horse would be stolen.
It would have been better to sell it. What a misfortune! "
The old man said, "Don't go so far as to say that.
Simply say that the horse is not in the stable. This is the fact; everything
else is a judgment. Whether it is a misfortune or a blessing I don't know, because
this is just a fragment. Who knows what is going to follow it?" People
laughed at the old man. They had always known that he was a little crazy. But
after fifteen days, suddenly one night the horse returned. He had not been
stolen; he had escaped into the wild.
And not only that, he brought a dozen wild horses with
him. Again the people gathered and they said, "Old man, you were right.
This was not a misfortune; it has indeed proved to be a blessing." The old
man said, "Again you are going too far. Just say that the horse is back .
. . who knows whether it is a blessing or not? It is only a fragment.
You read a single word in a sentence-how can you judge
the whole book?" This time the people could not say much, but inside they
knew that he was wrong. Twelve beautiful horses had come . .
The old man had an only son who started to train the wild
horses. Just a week later he fell from a horse and his legs were broken. The
people gathered again and again they judged. They said, Again you proved right!
It was a misfortune. Your only son has lost the use of his legs, and in your
old age he was your only support. Now you are poorer than ever." The old
man said, "You are obsessed with judgment. Don't go that far. Say only
that my son has broken his legs. Nobody knows whether this is a misfortune or a
blessing. Life comes in fragments and more is never given to you."
It happened that after a few weeks the country went to
war, and all the young men of the town were forcibly taken for the military.
Only the old man's son was left, because he was crippled.
The whole town was crying and weeping, because it was a losing fight and they
knew most of the young people would never come back. They came to the old man
and they said, "You were right, old man this has proved a blessing. Maybe
your son is crippled, but he is still with you. Our sons are gone
forever."
The old man said again, "You go on and on judging.
Nobody knows! Only say this, that your sons have been forced to enter into the
army and my son has not been forced.
But only God, the total, knows whether it is a blessing
or a misfortune."
'Judge ye not'-otherwise you will never become one with
the total. With fragments you will be obsessed, with small things you will jump
to conclusions. Once you judge you have stopped growing.
Judgment means a stale state of mind. And mind always
wants judgment, because to be in process is always hazardous and uncomfortable.
In fact, the journey never ends. One path ends, another begins, one door closes
another opens. You reach a peak; a higher peak is always there. God is an
endless journey. Only those who are so courageous that they don't bother about
the goal but are content with the journey, content just to live the moment and
grow into it, only those are able to walk with the total.
Dear Lord, we pray that we would have the faith in You in
all that we go through. Help us not to jump to conclusions but to completely
trust You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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