This is a classic tale of honesty passed on from generation to generation. I didn’t want to miss it at any cost.
Long ago, there lived a woodcutter in a small village. He was sincere in his work and very honest. Every day, he set out into the nearby forest to cut trees. He brought the wood back into the village and sold it out to a merchant. He earned just about enough to make a living, but he was satisfied with his simple life.
One day, while cutting a tree near a river, his axe slipped out of his hand and fell into the river. The river was so deep he could not even think of retrieving the axe on his own. He only had one axe which was gone into the river. He became very worried thinking how he will be able to earn his living now! He was very sad and prayed to the God.
He prayed sincerely so God appeared in front of him and asked, “What is the problem, my son?” The woodcutter explained the problem and requested the God to get his axe back.
The God put his hand deep into the river and took out a silver axe and asked, “Is this your axe?” The Woodcutter looked at the axe and said “No”. So the God put his hand back deep into the water again and showed a golden axe and asked, “Is this your axe?” The woodcutter looked at the axe and said “No”. The God said, “Take a look again, Son, this is a very valuable golden axe. Are you sure this is not yours?” The woodcutter said, “No, It’s not mine. I can’t cut the trees with a golden axe. It’s not useful for me”.
The God smiled and finally put his hand into the water again and took out the woodcutter’s iron axe and asked, “Is this your axe?” To this, the woodcutter said, “Yes! This is mine! Thank you!”
The God was very impressed with his honesty so he gave him his iron axe and also other two axes as a reward for his honesty.
Source: www.moralstories.org