20 YEARS OF SALARY VS. THE THREE
PIECES OF ADVICE
A couple of young newlyweds was very
poor and lived in a small farm. One day
the husband made the following proposal
to his wife:- "Honey, I will leave the house:
I will travel faraway, get a job and work
hard in order to be able to come back and
give you the comfortable life that you
deserve. I do not know how long I will
stay away… I only ask one thing, please
wait for me, and while I am out, you
should be faithful to me, because I will be
faithful to you".
So the young man left. He walked many
days until he found a farmer who was in
need of someone to help him. The young
man came and offered his services. He
was accepted! Therefore he discussed the
terms with his boss:- Let me work for as
long as I want and, when I think I should
go home please release me of my duties. I
do not want to receive my salary. I ask
you to save it for me, until the day I leave.
The day I decide to go, please give me the
money and I will follow my way. They
agreed in that!
So, the young man worked for twenty
years without holidays and without rest.
After twenty years, he came to his boss
and said:- Boss, I want my money,
because I am returning to my house.
The boss replied:- All right, after all, I
made a deal with you and I will stick to it.
However, before you go I want to offer you
something new: I will give you all your
money and send you away; or I will give
you 3 pieces of advice and send you
away. If I give you the money, I do not
give you the 3 pieces of advice. And if I
give you the 3 pieces of advice, I will not
give you the money. Now, go to your
room, and think about your answer.
He thought for two days. Then he went to
the boss and told him:
- I want the 3 pieces of advice.
The boss stressed again:
- If I give you the 3 pieces of advice, I will
not give you the money.
And the man replied:
- I want the 3 pieces of advice!
The boss then told him:
- No. 1: Never take shortcuts in your life,
shorter and unknown paths can cost your
life;
- No. 2: Never be too curious, for curiosity
towards evil can be deadly;
- No. 3: Never make decisions in moments
of anger or pain, because when you
repent, it could be too late.
After giving these 3 pieces of advice, the
boss said to him:
- Here you have 3 loaves of bread, 2 are
for you to eat during the journey and the
last is for you to eat with your wife when
you get home.
So, the man went on his way, after twenty
years away from home and from his wife,
whom he loved so much.
After the first day of travel, he found a
man who greeted him and asked:
- Where are you going?
He replied:
- To a distant place which is about 20
days away if I continue walking on this
road.
The man said to him:
- Oh boy, this path is too long! I know a
shortcut that is very safe and you will
arrive in 5 days only.
The man began to follow the path
suggested until he remembered the first
piece of advice. Then, he returned and
followed the long path. Days later he
learned that the shortcut led to an
ambush.
After a few days of travel, he found a
pension by the roadside, where he could
rest. He paid for the room and after taking
a bath he lied down to sleep.
During the night he woke up as he heard a
terrifying scream. He rose to his feet and
went to the door to check what happened.
When he was opening the door, he
remembered the second piece of advice.
Therefore he returned, lied down again and
slept.
At dawn, after having his breakfast, the
owner of the lodging asked him if he had
not heard the scream at night. He affirmed
that he heard. Then, the host said:
- Were you not curious to see what
happened?
And he replied:
- No! I was not!
Then the host said:
- You are the first guest to leave this
pension alive. My neighbour is completely
crazy. He usually shouts at night to call
someone’s attention. When some of the
guests come out, he kills them and buries
their body in the backyard.
The man continued his long journey, eager
to arrive soon.
After many days and nights walking, he
was very tired, but he finally saw his
house far away.
It was night. He saw some light coming
out from the window of his house and was
able to see the silhouette of his wife. But
he was also able to see that she was not
alone. He came closer and saw there was
a man with her. She softly caressed his
hair.
When he saw that scene, his heart was
filled with hatred and bitterness. He
decided to rush against the two and kill
them mercilessly. However, he took a deep
breath and he remembered the third piece
of advice.
Then he stopped, reflected and decided to
sleep outside that night. He slept in the
midst of the bushes and determined that
he was going to make a decision on the
next day. At dawn, he was calmer and
said:
- I will not kill my wife and her lover. I am
going back to my boss and ask him to take
me back. But before, I want to tell my wife
that I have always been faithful to her.
He went to the front door and knocked.
When his wife opened the door and
recognized him, she cried and embraced
him warmly. He tried to push her away,
but he was not able. Then, with tears in
his eyes he told her:
- I was faithful to you and you betrayed
me...
She was shocked with that accusation. So
she replied:
- How did I betray you? I have never
betrayed you. I waited patiently for you for
twenty years.
Then he asked:
- How about the man that you were
caressing yesterday?
And she said:
- That man is our son! When you left, I
discovered I was pregnant. Today he is
twenty years old.
Hearing that, the man asked her
forgiveness. He met and hugged his son.
After that he told them all the stories that
he experienced when he was away.
Meanwhile, his wife prepared some coffee
for them to eat together, the last bread
given by his boss.
After a prayer of thanksgiving, he broke
the bread. When he looked at it, he found
all his money inside. In fact, there was
even more than the right payment for his
twenty years of dedication and hard work!
Friends, our God is like this boss. When he
asks us to make a sacrifice, he wants to
give us more than what we give Him. He
wants us to have His unique wisdom as
well as to have His unique wisdom as well
as material blessings.
