There was once a ship, crossing the ocean. The passengers were eating and drinking, celebrating and having a good time. Then, the passengers began to notice that the sea started to get a bit rough, and the waves high and forceful. Then, after a few hours, the ship was in the middle of a terrible storm, tossing and rocking violently. People started to panic, and became worried. When the ship nearly capsized, they began to pray and run to and fro, calling on the captain to do something. But the captain, an experienced old sort who had been at sea since he was a boy, showed no sense of worry. He remained at his post and gave orders to his crew to steer the ship this way or that, concentrating in keeping it afloat and on it's course.
To calm his nerves, the captain opened a bottle of wine and began to drink. He sang a song, and simply smiled at the passengers, reassuring them that he was in control as he tried, as best he could, to alleviate their well deserved concerns. The ship continued to toss and roll in the stormy sea.
At that point, an imam came up to the wheelhouse and demanded to see the captain. There he was, the captain of the ship, giving orders to his crew with a bottle of wine in his hands, laughing and making crude jokes to keep their spirits up. The imam yelled at the captain "Idiot! Heathen! The ship is in the middle of a storm, we all may lose our lives, and you are here drinking and singing! Are you mad, or just such an unbeliever of a person that you feel it is beneath you to call upon God to show mercy? Pagan! Kafir!" At that point, the captain began laughing hysterically. He then ordered the first mate to take the imam and accompany him, at gunpoint, to his cabin where he was to remain under arrest. The captain continued laughing as the imam, cursing and yelling, was being hauled away.
Well, the ship tossed and turned all night long. The waves splashed upon the deck, windows broke and a mast collapsed. The passengers, thinking all was lost, prayed and pleaded out loud with their God to assist them and calm the waves. The imam, a prisoner inside his cabin, banged upon the door and demanded to be released, but the first mate had orders to ignore his pleas. Everyone thought that the ship would surely sink that night, since the captain treated the imam, a man of God, in such a disrespectful manner. Everyone was sure that this would be their last night on Earth.
By Sunrise, the storm had subsided, and the ship once again was sailing through calm water. All was well, and the crew went about making repairs. The captain ordered the imam freed from the cabin where he was locked up. The imam, shaken and angry, said that when the ship eventually docks in port, a formal complaint will be filed against this captain for recklessly endangering the lives of all on board. "You drank and sang while the ship was in the middle of a storm. And you laughed when I asked why you refuse to call upon God to help us". You will never command a ship again after I get through with you, heathen. But I must know, why did you laugh hysterically when I was being taken away?"
The captain turned to the imam and spoke: "First of all, you were upsetting my crew, and I needed them to follow orders so we could get though the storm. But as for my laughter, well that was because of an experience I had when I was young. I learned never to question God's reasons, or ask him for nothing that I could or should do for myself".
"Please explain to me what you mean by that, you heathen son of a dog" said the imam.
"Very well," spoke the captain. "When I was young, I walked passed a pile of putrid, decaying cow dung. It was horrible. There were maggots in it, flies and crawling insects. It smelled just awful. I looked to heaven and asked God as to just what purpose this pile of crap could have? I thought that everything that God would create or allow in his universe had a purpose, but this pile of cow dung served no purpose at all. So, I then walked away and forgot about that disgusting pile of cow dung. Years later, I became ill. I was dying. The doctors said there was no hope. One doctor said that there was an old folk remedy that might help. If we could find a pile of putrid, decaying cow dung, well littered with maggots and insects and at the stage where it was the worst smelling thing imaginable, there would be hope. So, a farmer was sent out to find some. The doctor ordered me to drink all of it, mixed with some water. I fell into a sweat and fainted. I slept for two whole days. When I awoke, I felt great and was better. The doctors, amazed, said I was totally cured. From that time, I learned never to question God's purpose for even a second. He knows what he creates, and is in charge of everything. He has the knowledge of the seen and the unseen. I do what I have to, and trust everything else to him."
No comments:
Post a Comment