The Story of the White Horse

One day, a white stallion rode into the paddocks of an old man and all the villagers congratulated him on such good fortune. And the old man only offered this: “Is it a curse or a blessing? All we can see is a sliver. Who can see what will come next?”

When the white horse ran off, the townsfolk were convinced the white stallion had been a curse. The old man lived surrendered and satisfied in the will of God alone:  “I cannot see as He sees.”

And when the horse returned with a dozen more horses, the townsfolk declared it a blessing, yet the old man said only, “It is as He wills and I give thanks for His will.”

Then the man’s only son broke his leg when thrown from the white stallion. The town folk all bemoaned the bad fortune of that white stallion. And the old man had only offered, “We’ll see. We’ll see. It is as He wills and I give thanks for His will.”

When a draft for a war took all the young men off to battle but the son with the broken leg, the villagers all proclaimed the good fortune of that white horse. And the old man said but this, “We see only a sliver of the sum. We cannot see how the bad might be good. God is sovereign and He is good and He sees and work all things together for good.”

Ann Voskamp shared this story on her blog today, and here were some of her accompanying thoughts:

- Hasn’t that been the lie right since the beginning - that we can see? When we ate from the tree… that we’d really see. But though we ate we did not become like God.

- We have no knowledge of good and evil apart from God. Our heart optics are not omniscient. How could we really see if a seeming disaster or dilemma is actually dire?

- Our focus need only be on Him, to only faithfully see His Word, to wholly obey. Therein is the tree of life.

- God is only up to good work.

Whatever You may do, I will thank You.

I am ready for all; I accept all.

Let only Your will be done in me…

And I’ll ask for nothing else, my Lord.

- Charles de Foucauld