THREE WISHES

Once upon a time, there was a poor farmer who was visited by an angel of God in
his dream. The angel said, “My dear poor farmer, you have found favour in the eyes of God.
He wants to bless you. What are your three wishes in life? God will grant them all. But on
one condition… that is… whatever you wish for, your neighbour shall receive twice as
much.”

When the farmer woke up the next day, he told his wife about his dream. The wife
said, “Could your dream be true? Will God really grant our wish?” The farmer said, “Why
don’t we try it? Let us ask something from God and see if He will really give it to us.”

The farmer and his wife prayed to God, “Dear Lord, Blessed God, please give us a
herd of a thousand cows so we can break out from our poverty.” After their prayer, they
heard the sound of a thousand cows outside their house. The farmer and his wife were very
happy and thanked God for the granted wish. They thanked God for His great generosity.

The farmer and his wife became very busy with taking care of their cows. They sold
its meat and milk in the market. They earned lots of money from it.

One day, while the farmer was on top of a hill, he saw his neighbour on the other
side of the hill. He was surprised to see that his neighbour had many cows which were twice
as much than what he has. He felt envy over his neighbour’s many cows. He went home
and told his wife about it. He said, “My dear wife, our neighbour has many cows more than
ours. The angel was right in saying that whatever we wish for, our neighbour will receive
more.” The wife said, “Do not worry, my dear. Let us not pay attention to whatever our
neighbour has. The angel said that we can ask for three wishes. We still have two wishes
left. We can still have whatever we want.”

The farmer and his wife prayed to God, “Dear Lord, Blessed God, please give us a
child so that we can have descendants.” After a few months, the wife became pregnant. The
farmer and his wife were very happy and thanked God for granting their second wish.

One day, the wife gave birth to a baby boy. The farmer and his wife were overjoyed.
Many months passed. It was time for the baptism of the baby. The farmer and his wife
brought their baby to the church. In the church, they saw their neighbour. The neighbour
said to the people in the church, “God has been very good to us. We have twins! Thanks be
to God.”
 When the farmer and his wife went home, the farmer said, “I can’t believe this! Our
neighbour really received twice as much blessings as we have. When we asked for a
thousand cows, our neighbor received two thousand cows. When we asked for a child, our
neighbour was given twins. I think God is unfair to us!”

That night, the farmer prayed to God, “Dear Lord, Blessed God, please take out my
right eye.” Suddenly, the angel appeared and said, “Dear farmer, why do you ask for such a
dark wish?” The farmer answered angrily, “I do not like my neighbour to prosper. If I wish
God to take out my one eye, then, He will take out the two eyes of my neighbour. That is
what I want. I want my neighbour to be blind and suffer twice as much.”

When the angel heard the farmer’s explanation, tears fell down the angels eyes. The
angel said, “What happened to you, dear farmer? You used to be a kind person that’s why
God wanted to grant you three wishes. But, now, you have brought sadness to the very
heart of God. I am sorry but your third and last wish will never be granted.”

THE END

Questions:
1) Why did God want to grant three wishes for the farmer?
God wants to grant three wishes for the farmer because of his kindness
despite of his social status in life.

2) Why was the farmer not happy every time his wish was granted?
The farmer was not happy every time his wish was granted because of
jealousy. He envy his neighbour as it has more than on what they have.

3) What can you say about the farmer’s wife?

The farmer’s wife still became kind who gave a good advice to his husband.
She is right, they doesn’t need to focus on others life.

4) What was the farmer’s way to revenge on his neighbour who received more
blessings than him?
Farmer’s way to revenge on his neighbour who received more blessings to
him was wishing to remove his right eye so that God will take out the two eyes of his
neighbour.
5) In your opinion, what is a perfect life?
For me, a perfect life depends on how you value what you have right now.
Yes, life isn’t fair; life is full challenges and obstacles, but be a strong person. When
you learn about problems in others’ lives, your problems will seem tiny. And the
moment you realise your life is already wonderful in every sense at this very
moment, you will start appreciating it more. Everyone’s definition of perfect is
different, and for me

6) What are the things that you cannot live without? Why?