This is Good

This is story is for the pessimists out there. I got this from an email. I hope this makes you think more positively. :D

THE story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life - positive or negative - and remarking, "This is good!"

* * *

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"

* * *

To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.
About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village.
* * *

They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king had no thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

* * *

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened.

* * *

"And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for 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?" "If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you...and I would have been eaten instead."

* * *

Moral: There are situations in life which we think don't make sense at all, like some failure or misfortune. But when we look back later, they proved to be blessings in disguise.
As the saying goes, "God writes straight on crooked lines."
Live on, therefore, according to His precepts. Even that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be turned by God for His glory and YOUR benefit.