It Comes From

 

            Above

 

           In a humble cottage in France, a poor godly man lay dying.  Calling his only son to him, he said, “My dear little Pierre, you will soon be left alone, and many troubles will come to you in this world; but always remember that all comes from above; then you will find it easy to bear everything with patience.” 

    Shortly after this, the poor man died, and little Pierre found himself quite alone in the world.  The only thing he could do for a living was to go out and beg.  As he went from door to door in the villages, he would sing for the people receiving from them just enough to keep him alive.  Every time anybody gave him some food or money, he would say, “It comes from above,” remembering his father’s last words, It became a habit with him to use these words whatever happened to him, and he found that they did indeed help him to bear everything with patience.                  

   One day as he was passing through a village, a sudden gust of wind blew a tile off the roof of a nearby house.  It struck Pierre on the shoulder, knocking him to the ground.

          “It comes from above,” were his first words as he got back on his feet.  But, as you can imagine, the people standing around nearby laughed heartily.

       A minute later, however, another gust of wind tore off the entire roof of a cottage a little farther down the street.  Had little Pierre gone on, he might have been killed by it.  So he thought to himself that the tile that had struck him and hurt him had indeed “come from above.”

    On another occasion, little Pierre was employed by a wealthy gentleman to carry an important letter to a businessman in a neighboring town.  As he was told to be quick, Pierre ran as fast as he could.  Coming to a stream, he tried to jump over it, but, he fell in and was nearly drowned.  When he finally climbed out onto the bank drenched and weary, he found that the precious letter had disappeared.  He tried, but could not find it anywhere in the muddy water.   “It comes from above,” he murmured to himself as he sadly made his way back to the rich gentleman’s house.  

 

 

            Naturally enough, the gentleman was very angry with him.  In fact he drove him out of his house.  But all Pierre could say was, “It comes from above.” 

   The next day, however, the gentleman sent for him.  “Your falling into that stream was a fortunate accident for me,” he said.  “Circumstances have changed overnight.  If that letter had been delivered, I should have been involved in serious loss.  Please accept this little gift as a token of my gratitude.”  And the gentleman put more money in little Pierre’s hand than he had seen in along time.

     “It comes from above,” he said, as he went down the steps smiling.

           And so Pierre grew up always believing that the hand of God was ordering his life, confident that, as it says in Romans 8:28 ”All things work together for good to them that love God.”  One day he, too, became a successful businessman. 

    We too should have such a faith in our Heavenly Father.  It will save us much needless sorrow and discouragement, and will fill our heart with a quiet peace and confidence to bear everything with patience, as we remember that “all comes from above.”  Try it for yourself and see how God can work in your life!

 

Marilyn Perez