Two neighboring farmers talked often over the backyard fence. One day Joe told Fred that he had made a smart low-cost purchase of a fine horse he could enter in the county fair. With happiness he exclaimed, “I plan to race him next weekend, and I hope to win a prize. Isn't that a great turn of fortune for me?!”
The wise old Fred, puffing on his pipe, answered pensively, “Well, maybe.”
Joe walked away feeling a bit as if the wind had gone out of his sails by his friend's measured response. But the next day Joe happily hooked up his new horse to his cart to ride to market. En route, a raging wind arose and frightened his new horse. The horse ran the cart into the ditch and became lame in his right foreleg. Joe led his limping horse back home, realizing he couldn't race his horse that weekend after all. That night after supper he confided this sad turn of events to Fred, finishing with, “Isn't that awful!” Farmer Fred replied again, with kind, compassionate eyes, “Maybe.”
Joe walked back to the house puzzled.
The following morning after having massaged the leg with liniment and keeping it wrapped all night, Joe noticed that the swelling had decreased. He jogged the horse and it was no longer gimpy on that leg. After watching the horse slowly walk around a bit he realized that by the following weekend he could enroll his horse in the slower beginner's event at the county race, and at least thereby have an excuse to see a few of his friends. That evening he shared the good news with his friend Fred. Fred nodded agreeably, without a word.
That weekend at the fair Joe met a lonely little girl who needed a horse. Any horse. Feeling instantly compelled, Joe gave his horse to the girl. That night he told Fred: “I didn't expect my plan would take that turn. But ‘tis alright, eh?!” Fred answered characteristically with his measured “Maybe.”
The next night Joe rushed up to Fred with “You'll never guess what happened today. The little girl I gave the horse to fell off the horse and got a concussion. Oh, I never should have given it to her. Isn't that awful?!”
Fred said characteristically, “Maybe; keep me posted.”
When Joe went to visit the little girl in the hospital the next day, there were her parents who sheepishly confided in Joe that they had decided to get back together after their separation, having realized how much their daughter needed them both in her life. Amazed, Joe hurried home to tell Fred, “Isn't that wonderful?!”
Fred responded this time with a more hopeful “Maybe.”
The next day Joe hailed his friend at the backyard fence and leaned over the fence for a chat. “Fred, I've been thinking about your maybes. And I'm beginning to see now that God's road runs high above our road in ways we can never anticipate. Your maybes are referring to the Lord’s ever-present goodness to us in all things.” With a warm smile Fred responded, "Yes; surely!”
