Years ago, there was a farmer who owned land along
the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people
were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms
that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As
the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of
refusals.
Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle
age, approached the farmer.
"Are you a good farmhand?" The farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows." Answered the little man.
Although puzzled by the answer, the farmer hired
him as he was desperate for help. The little man worked well around the farm
and was busy from dawn to dusk. The farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
One night, the wind howled loudly as a storm
approaches from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and
rushed to the hired hand's sleeping quarters.
He shook the little man and yelled, "Get
up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I
can sleep when the wind blows."
Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted
to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.
To his amazement, he discovered that all the haystacks had already been covered
with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops and
the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied
down and nothing could be blown away.
The farmer then understood what his hired hand
meant. He returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.
Moral - When you're prepared, spiritually,
mentally and physically, you have nothing to fear.
Can you sleep when the wind blows through your
life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the
farm against the storm.
