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teacher wanted to teach a class of students an important principle in life, when she told the following story of a cruise ship that was capsized at sea.

“A cruise ship capsized while at sea. There was a couple on the ship who, after having made their way to the lifeboat, realized that there was only one space left.
At this moment, the man pushed the woman behind him and jumped onto the lifeboat himself. The lady stood on the sinking ship and shouted only one sentence to her husband.”
The teacher stopped and asked: “What do you think she shouted?”

Most of the students excitedly answered: “I hate you! I was blind to marry you!”

Now, the teacher noticed one boy kept silent throughout the discussion. When she asked for his opinion, he responded:

“Teacher, I believe she would have shouted – Take care of our child!”

The teacher was surprised: “Have you heard this story before?”

The boy shook his head: “Nope. But that was what my mom told my dad before she died from a disease.”

With teary eyes the teacher said: “The answer is right.”

She continued with the story: “The cruise ship sank, the man got home safe and raised their daughter on his own. Many years later after his death, the daughter, already an adult, found his diary while going through his belongings. She read the following:

“When we went on the cruise, she was already diagnosed with the terminal illness. She had only a few days left to live… Oh, how I wished I was the one at the bottom of the ocean and not you… But for the sake of our daughter, I had to get in the boat and leave you behind.””

Thus, the teacher ended the story. The class was completely silent. The teacher could tell the students were deeply moved. She wanted to teach them something valuable that day.

A seemingly good behavior doesn’t always mean good intentions. Just like a seemingly bad behavior doesn’t always mean bad intentions or betrayal. Often, when we meet a person for the first time or see his actions, our perception is influenced by various factors, like his outward appearance, his clothes, manner of conduct, or conversation, etc. This makes us prone to come to the wrong conclusion or even make the wrong decision. But more often than not, there’s more to the story than meets the eye. We must abstain from making a hasty judgment about a person or a situation before we get to know the whole story.

“He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.” Proverbs 18:13

“The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.” Proverbs 18:17

“Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps errs.” Proverbs 19:2

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