Good Luck Bad Luck!
There is a Chinese story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his
fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills and when the farmer's
neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer
replied, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?" A week later, the horse
returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors
congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, "Good luck?
Bad luck? Who knows?"
Then, when the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild
horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very
bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, "Bad luck? Good
luck? Who knows?"
Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted
every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer's
son with his broken leg, they let him off. Now was that good luck or bad
luck?
Who knows?
Everything that seems on the surface to be an evil may be a good in
disguise. And everything that seems good on the surface may really be an
evil. So we are wise when we leave it to God to decide what is good
fortune and what misfortune, and thank him that all things turn out for
good with those who love him.