20 Years of Salary in Advice

"3 Pieces of Advice vs 20 Years of Salary"
A very poor newly wedded, young couple 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 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 away, 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 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 relieve 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 go my way.
They agreed on that. So, the young man worked
for twenty years without holiday and without rest.
After twenty years, he came to his boss and said:
- Boss, I want my money, because I am returning
to my home.
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 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.
The man said to him:
- Ol' 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 more days of travel, he found an inn
by the roadside, where he could rest. He paid for
a room and after taking a bath he lay 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. As he was
opening the door, he remembered the second
piece of advice. Therefore he returned, lay down
again and slept.
At dawn, after 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 inn 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 bodies 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 of
the window of his house and was able to see the
silhouette of his wife. But he also saw 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 at and
kill them both 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, determined to make a decision the next
day. At dawn, he was calmer and thought:
- I will not kill my wife and her lover. I am going
back to my boss to ask him to take me back. But
before I go, 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 but you betrayed me.
She was shocked, so she replied:
- How did I betray you? I have never betrayed
you. I waited patiently for you for twenty good
years.
Then he asked:
- How about the man that you were caressing
yesterday?
And she said:
- That man is your 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. Then he told them all
the things he had experienced while 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 the material blessings. God bless u