Only If I Could Die Or Live

There lived a woodcutter who was very poor. He had a wife and three little children. He used to cut wood the whole day and still he could not arrange the food of two times for the family. He was very tired of his poverty stricken situation.

One day he was bringing the wood load from the forest and thinking that even today he will not be able to arrange enough food for his family. He said to himself “what was the use of such life in which one has to see his family sleeping hungry everyday? If I die now I will not have a chance to see my family suffer from hunger and misery.”

And after saying this he pushed his wood load by the side of the road and sat down under a tree – tired, dissatisfied and abusing himself and saying “why this death doesn’t come to me, so that I can be free from all these worries?” He sat there only a few moments that he saw a dark complexioned man coming towards him. Since there was nobody on that road before, he got surprised to see this man sprinting towards him. The woodcutter, still sitting in motionless awe – and in his head thinking why was he coming to me? The dark complexioned creature came and stood in front of the woodcutter.

The woodcutter asked – “Who are you and what do you want from me?” He said – “I am Death. You called me and that is why I have came to you. Tell me what I can do for you?”

Hearing the name Death, the woodcutter got scared and started trembling with fear. He did not want to die, in reality. Those words came out of his mouth in great grief and despair, but otherwise he loved his family very much. He thought if he dies then his family will not be able to get even this much of food and that they will go bed with absolutely nothing in their stomach. He murmurs “who will then take care of them?”

So he gathered himself and said to Death – “Mr Death, I am very thankful to you that you came on my call. In fact, I was very tired and that is why I remembered you. Please just help me to keep this load on my head, that is all. I will be very grateful to you.”

Death said – “Is that all you remembered me for? No problem.” And he placed the load on woodcutter’s head instantly and went away. After that day he never remembered his Death.

[When people are very sad, they often remember their Death that and say to themselves "If only I could die…" But nobody wants to die. When it comes to them they are frightened and wish for living. Being wishful for Death is not a solution for the sorrows and the difficulties that we face. We should still remember God and try our best to solve our problems. Keeping this in mind, a person should always speak good, truthful and sweet words.]