There’s an old Chinese legend of a farmer whose horse escaped. But he just shrugged and said “How do you know this is a bad thing?” Later his horse returned with a herd of wild horses, and the old man said, “How do you know this is a good thing?” Then, while riding one of the wild horses, his son was thrown and broke his leg. But the old man just said, “How do you know this is a bad thing?” Soon after, a warlord arrived to conscript young men for his army, and the farmer’s son escaped because of his broken leg. The farmer’s response again was: How do you know it’s a good thing?”
The story, of course, can go on forever. The meaning is that good fortune can quickly turn bad and bad fortune may be a blessing in disguise. But for people of faith, the Bible reminds us that “God is at work in all things for our good.”