The one with 'Great Misfortune'

Parable: ‘Great Misfortune’

There was once an old man named Benoni who had known great misfortune through life, having lost his wife and children to poverty, disease, and war.  The many lines on his face betrayed his pain, and his heart was filled with sorrow and regret.  Indeed he barely had the strength to carry on.

But there was one who had drawn alongside him in his sorrow.  His comforter was the village blacksmith, a strong but caring man who exhibited a gentle, humble, and charitable way of life.  People knew very little about this blacksmith, as he was a quiet man who had moved into the town only a few years before.  Yet he was well liked by the community and would often be found sitting on the porch of his workshop, enjoying the midday sun and passing the time by engaging strangers in conversation.  His face was strong and full of character, betraying both a depth of spirit and a breadth of experience.  But it was also a kindly face that was set alight by his compassionate smile.

When Benoni lost his first child, the blacksmith called round to his home, put his hand on Benoni’s shoulder and with greate affection said, “I am so sorry that yo uhave suffered this grave misfortune.  If you will allow me, I would like to stand with you at this time of hardship.”

Ever since this first encounter the blacksmith had called round to Benoni’s house most evenings, sometimes to sit and chat, sometimes to listen, and sometimes simply to leave food and other provisions.  As each new calamity befell Benoni, the blacksmith would be there to speak and cry with.

One day when Benoni was particularly depressed he went to visit a pastor who lived in the heart of the city, so as to talk through what had taken place over the traumatic years and try to make sense of it.  The pastor listened to what Benoni had to say and then, after a little thought, replied, “Well my son, in order for great fortune to take place one must first suffer great misfortune.  The suffering you have faced is the price that has had to be extracted for strength of character, and a spirit forged in the fires of hell.”

So Benoni returned to his home alone, lit a fire in an attempt to take away the evening’s chill, and contemplated the words of the minister.  Perhaps he is right, thought Benoni, maybe I should take some comfort from these words.  But it is cold, I am alone, and words can offer no shoulder to rest on.

Just then the blacksmith knocked on the door and Benoni, as always, welcomed him in.  As they sat together they drank whiskey and talked long into the night.  That evening Benoni shared the words of the pastor with his friend, adding. “Perhaps now that I have been given these words to comfort me, you no longer need to visit as you have done this last year.”

The blacksmith simply looked at the floor for a few moments and then replied, “My dear friend, if what the elder has said is true then I am needed all the more, for if you had to suffer such great misfortune in order to find strength of character and wealth of spirit, then this is in itself a great misfortune.”

And so they sat late into the night bringing comfort and warmth to each other through the sharing of their lives.

-Peter Rollins, The Orthodox Heretic