Three Laughs of Wisdom: Life’s unexpected turns
Life doesn’t work out the way we think it will. We tend to worry a lot about the future as if we could control everything.
But life has its plans. What seems like a huge dilemma today can bring joy tomorrow.
The story teaches that the sooner we start being patient and trusting, things will work out some way, and someday, even though we don’t know why, the sooner we should stop pondering and curving our backs.
There is an excellent story by Leo Tolstoy. In this short inspirational story, adapted from a classic tale by Leo Tolstoy, you’ll learn the powerful truth about God’s plan for your life.
A Messenger’s Mission
Once upon a time, above Earth and below Heaven, the God of Death summoned one of his messengers.
“Go to Earth,” the God said. “There’s a lady who’s just died. Bring me her soul.”
The messenger nodded and flew to Earth.
When he got there, he found the woman lying perfectly still.
She had passed away. But there, next to her, were her three tiny baby girls. They were triplets.
A Heart Full of Sorrow
One baby was trying to drink milk from her mother, not knowing her mother was gone. Another baby was crying so loudly, her face red and full of tears.
The third baby had cried so much that she had fallen asleep with dry tears on her cheeks.
The messenger looked at these poor babies. They had no one to take care of them.
Their father had died before, and there were no other family members around. The messenger felt a deep pain in his heart. He couldn’t leave them alone like this.
Defying Death’s Command
So, he returned to the heavens without taking the woman’s soul. Standing before the God of Death, he said, “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take her soul. Forgive me, but you don’t understand.
She has three tiny daughters—they are just babies. One is still holding her mother, trying to feed her. Another is crying so much; the third has cried herself to sleep.
How can I leave them without their mother? Can’t she live a little longer, just until the girls grow up a bit?”
The Punishment
The God of Death furrowed his brows, angrily saying, “You know better than I? Do you presume you are wiser than He who decides all life and death? You have committed your first mistake.
For this, you will be punished. Go back to Earth. You will remain there until you laugh at your foolishness on three occasions. Only then can you return.”
The messenger accepted his doom, though he believed he acted correctly. He didn’t think he had erred, and he never envisioned cracking jokes about it.
A Kind Stranger
So the messenger was returned to Earth. He was alone, hungry, and cold. He had no powers now.
Once upon a time, a poor cobbler went to the market to buy warm clothes for his kids as winter was coming.
En route, he saw the messenger, who was shaking in the cold with nothing to wear.
He took pity on the cobbler and bought a blanket and warm clothes for the stranger instead of his kids.
Then he said, “Come with me to my house. My wife might be angry that I spent our children’s money on you. But don’t worry. She’ll calm down.”
The First Laugh
When the cobbler’s wife returned home, she grew very angry. “Why did you waste our tax money on a stranger? What about our kids? What are they going to wear in the cold?” she shouted.
When the messenger heard this, he suddenly laughed. It was the first time he had laughed since he had been punished. The cobbler was surprised. “Why are you laughing?” he asked.
“After I have laughed three times, I will tell you,” the messenger replied. For now, just wait.
He laughed because the cobbler’s wife was worried about losing a little money, not knowing they had brought someone special into their home—someone who would soon bring them great blessings.
New Beginnings
Time passed. The messenger learned how to make shoes from the cobbler. He was quick to learn and made beautiful shoes.
Soon, their small shop became famous. People from faraway places came to buy their shoes and became rich.
A Royal Mistake
One day, a servant from the king’s palace came with a rare piece of leather. “This is for the king,” he said. “Make a fine pair of shoes. But be careful. Do not make sandals. Only shoes.”
In that land, sandals were only used for the dead during burials. The cobbler warned the messenger, “Be careful.
There is only enough leather for one pair. If you make a mistake, the king will be furious.”
But for some reason, the messenger made sandals instead of shoes. The cobbler was shocked and scared.
“What have you done? I told you to make shoes! This mistake could get us in trouble with the king!”
The Second Laugh
The messenger laughed for the second time. Just then, the servant rushed back into the shop, panting. “Don’t make shoes. The king has died. We need sandals for his burial.”
The cobbler was speechless. “How did you know?” he asked.
The messenger smiled. “Don’t worry. I will explain everything after my third laugh.”
His second laugh was because he realised humans worry so much about things they cannot control.
The cobbler feared the future, but everything turned out fine because fate had already planned it.
The Final Realization
Years went by. One day, three beautiful young women came to the shop with an older, rich woman. They wanted to buy special shoes for their weddings.
The messenger recognised them immediately. They were the triplets he had once left with their dead mother.
He asked the older woman, “Are these your daughters?”
She smiled. “No, they are not my real daughters. I found them when they were babies.
Their mother had died, and there was no one to care for them. I had no children of my own, so I raised them.
They grew up healthy and happy. Now they are getting married into royal families.”
The Third Laugh
Hearing this, the messenger laughed for the third and final time.
The cobbler looked at him and said, “Now, you must tell me everything.”
The messenger told the cobbler his whole story—how he was sent to Earth as punishment and had to laugh at his foolishness three times before he could return. “I thought I knew what was best.
I believed saving their mother would save their lives. But fate had a different plan. They didn’t just survive.
They had a good life. I see now that life knows what it’s doing, even when we don’t understand it.”
Conclusion:
This story teaches us that life doesn’t always go the way we expect. We worry about what might happen, but sometimes, the things we fear the most lead to happiness.
Life has its own plan. Even when something feels sad or unfair, it might be part of a bigger story that we can’t see yet.
So, trust the journey, and believe that things will work out in the end.
