God Has to Take Care of Your Enemies Too

Have you ever looked at someone who seems dishonest... yet keeps succeeding... and quietly wondered, "Why does God keep blessing people like that?"

Maybe you've worked harder, stayed honest, and still watched someone you dislike move ahead while you were left behind.

If you've ever felt that life was unfair, this story may change the way you think forever.

It is the story of a merchant who wanted God to take his side against his rival. But when he met a wise old sage, he received an answer so unexpected that it dissolved years of anger in a single moment.

Because sometimes, the greatest obstacle to our peace is not our enemy... but what we expect God to do with them.

Once upon a time, there was a merchant who lived in a busy market town. He was known for his hard work.

Every morning he opened his shop before sun rise and closed it long after sunset.

Across the street stood another shop. Its owner was wealthy, clever, and always surrounded by customers.

The merchant could not bear the sight of him.

"He is dishonest," he often muttered. "He must be cheating people. Yet every year his business grows. Why does God allow such a man to prosper?"

The thought stayed with him day and night.

One afternoon, an old sage arrived in the town. People came from nearby villages to seek his advice.

The merchant decided to meet him.

After greeting the sage, he poured out all his complaints.

"I work honestly," he said. "I keep fair prices. I never deceive anyone. But my rival grows richer every day. He has cheated many people. Tell me, why does God keep helping such a man?"

The sage listened quietly.

After a long silence, he asked, "Are you certain he is dishonest?"

The merchant hesitated.

"I... believe he is."

The sage smiled gently.

"Perhaps he is. Or perhaps he is simply more skilful than you. But that is not the question troubling your heart."

The merchant looked puzzled.

The sage continued.

"Tell me, if you were king, would you allow the sun to shine only on your friends?"

"Of course not."

"Would you stop the rain from falling on the fields of people you dislike?"

"No."

"Then why do you expect God to run the world according to your private quarrels?"

The merchant had no answer.

The sage picked up a dry leaf and let it fall.

"My son," he said, "God has to take care of your enemy too."

The merchant frowned.

The sage chuckled.

"Imagine how difficult that task must be."

For the first time in many months, the merchant laughed.

The sage went on.

"If your rival is truly dishonest, his actions will bring their own consequences. If he is honest, your anger has wronged him. In either case, your bitterness has become your greatest burden."

The merchant lowered his head.

He had spent years watching another man's shop instead of improving his own.

He had prayed less for wisdom than for someone else's failure.

As he walked back through the marketplace, he noticed something he had never seen before.

Customers entered both shops for different reasons. Some valued low prices. Some valued quality. Some simply bought from the shop nearest to them.

The world was larger than his resentment.

From that day on, he stopped asking God to punish his rival.

Instead, he prayed for a wiser heart and worked with greater peace.

And strangely enough, when envy left his heart, success no longer seemed so far away.

Message

God is not the keeper of our grudges. His care extends beyond our personal likes and dislikes. When we stop asking Him to manage our enemies and begin asking Him to improve ourselves, we find the peace we were seeking all along.-506