Ben and Anne were a successful couple who had been married for over 18 years and had their own small business in a small town of England. They were reasonably prosperous as their business was doing well. They were blessed with three girl children, the eldest one Maria was 17 years old, the second one Jessy was 14 and the last one Lucy was 9 years old. The parents and children were closely bonded. Ben and Anne ensured that their children were put in the best of schools.
Everything was fine till the first 17 years of their married life. But it was too good to last. As things turned out Ben’s business took a beating and slowly started going into losses.
His debts started mounting. The cost of living was going up. The children were growing and Ben had to meet the demands of the younger generation.
Ben’s love for his children ensured that the children got the best of everything in terms of schools, clothing, electronic gadgets etc. But on account of his losses in business and mounting debts Ben’s worries began to mount. His stress could be seen and felt by the members of his family.
Anne began to worry about Ben’s health and the future of the children. Ben and Anne had not encountered any such crisis in their lives earlier and they were ill trained on how to face the increasing financial problems.
One day the Ben’s creditors ganged up and came to his house and verbally abused Ben on his delay in repaying his debts. After they left Ben and his wife decided they could not take this torture any longer, they hatched up a suicide pact for the family. Ben and Anne jointly agreed on the plan that the next day Ben would bring poison and both of them would mix it in a drink and also offer the drink to the children so that all five of them would put an end to their lives and their misery.
Ben and Anne lay down on the bed for their last night on earth. Anne drifted off to sleep on account of physical exertion. Ben kept thinking over his whole life and that of his wife and children and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Suddenly Ben woke up with a start, he thought he heard someone whisper out to him
“ Ben, Ben it is I”. Ben rubbed his eyes and saw a bright white light in front of him and there was an angel in bright white garments. Ben could not speak. He just muttered “What is that you want Angel Gabriel”. The angel spoke “The Lord God wants me to give you this message Hey Ben, I have breathed my life into you and into each member of your family. Your life belongs to me and only I have the right to take it back when I want. I have blessed you with children and gave them to you to be a caretaker and trustee. How could you think you have the right to take their lives”. Ben was stunned. He knelt down in fear and said “What do you want me to do my Lord” The Angel said to him “I have given you with ample intelligence and skill to solve your problems and I have provided you with all the resources of this universe. Trust in me and continue to face up to your problems. They will all disappear before the strength of your faith and perseverance. Believe and Trust in me and do the right things.
Leave the results into my hands”. So saying the Angel disappeared.
Ben sat still shocked beyond words and shook his wife and narrated to her what had happened. That whole night both of them knelt and prayed to God and thanked him for opening their eyes.
From the next day on, there was no looking back for Ben. Slowly, his business started picking up again. Ben asked his creditors to reschedule his payments and slowly he cleared them all over a period of time.
Ben’s three children Maria, Jessy and Lucy did very well in their respective fields in education. Maria the eldest one became a professor in the University, Jessie took up medicine and Lucy the youngest one became an architect. All of them got married and
were blessed with two children each of their own.
