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One day, while a woodcutter was
cutting the branch of a tree hanging over a river ...
..., his axe fell into the river.
When he cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "Why are you
crying?"
The woodcutter replied that his
axe had fallen into the water, and he needed the axe to make his
living.
The Lord went down into the water
and reappeared with a golden axe. "Is this your axe?" the Lord
asked.
The woodcutter replied, "No." The
Lord again went down and came up with a silver axe. "Is this your
axe?" the Lord asked.
Again, the woodcutter replied,
"No."
The Lord went down a third time
and came up with an iron axe. Is this your axe?" the Lord asked.
The woodcutter replied, "Yes."
The Lord was pleased with the
man's honesty and gave him all three axes to keep, and the
woodcutter went home happy.
Some time later the woodcutter
was walking with his wife along the riverbank, and his wife fell
into the river. When he cried out, the Lord again appeared and
asked him, "Why are you crying?" "Oh Lord, my wife has fallen into
the water!"
The Lord went down into the water
and came up with Jennifer Lopez.
"Is this your wife?" asked the
Lord.
"Yes," cried the woodcutter.
The Lord was furious. "You lied!
That is not the truth!"
The woodcutter replied, "Oh,
forgive me Lord, it is a misunderstanding.
You see, if I had said 'no' to
Jennifer Lopez, You would have come up with Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Then if I also said 'no' to her, You would have come up with my
wife. Had I then said 'yes,' you would have given all three to me.
Lord, I am a poor man, and I'm
not able to take care of three wives, so THAT'S why I said yes to
Jennifer Lopez."
The moral of this story is:
Whenever a man lies, it is for a good and honorable reason, and
for the benefit of others.
Submitted by Bill, Narberth,
Pa.
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