In a faraway land at the foot of a sacred mountain in the town of Agora, there lived a very unusual man named Amos. What made him so unusual was that though outwardly he seemed a poor and simple cobbler, Read More…
he also led a secret life. By day Amos worked meticulously at his craft, but at night he would find his way to a cave on the side of the mountain, where he had built an altar to God. There Amos would spend the night in prayer and devotion until he fell asleep in exhaustion.
One night after praying even more intensely than usual and then falling into a deep sleep, a strange event occurred. A voice that seemed to come from the depths of the mountain itself spoke to him: “Amos, I have decided to send you the spiritual travelers who have dedicated themselves to developing their souls and joining me. They will take on the difficult task of climbing the sacred mountain. This journey requires boots of a very special quality. Not only do they need a leather that only I can supply, but also a cobbler who is in the service of God. Because of your piety as well as your craftsmanship I have decided to make you my cobbler.”
Upon awakening, and while thinking what a strange dream, Amos suddenly noticed near the mouth of the cave a small bundle of leather. It was of a type he had never seen before, supple and fine, almost alive. He suddenly realized the voice was not a dream, as once again it filled the cave: “Amos, each time you find this leather, you will know that one of my travelers will soon appear. To continue their journey, they will need these boots. I promise you if you serve me well, you will be rewarded well.”
Excitedly, Amos returned to his shop with the leather, and began to make a new pair of boots. He found that the properties of the leather that made it special also made it extremely difficult to work. He had to devise many ingenious ways to craft the boots. They required such efforts of time and attention that he wasn’t able to make the fashionable lady’s shoes or sturdy farmer’s boots that the villagers wanted. Despite becoming poorer, he was content, and from time to time one of the travelers would appear to purchase a pair of his special boots, thus providing him with just enough money to meet his needs. Though he remained a man of modest means, his reputation as a special bootmaker spread far and wide. This was his life for many years.
One day the Devil appeared in Amos’ shop, disguised as a leather merchant. “Amos, I’ve heard of your work. Your reputation has traveled far,” he said, as he picked up a pair of the special boots. “And I see you certainly deserve it. These boots are very supple, very well-made. What is your secret?”
“It’s the leather,” said Amos. “It not only looks good, but it also gives a special quality to the boots.”
The merchant replied, “That’s very interesting. I’d like to buy some. How much do you want for this leather?”
“It’s not for sale,” said Amos. “I’ve only enough left for one pair of boots, and someone will be coming for them soon.”
“I’m sure you could part with some,” said the merchant.
“No,” replied Amos, “it’s not mine to sell.”
“Not even one small piece?” asked the merchant.
“Absolutely not,” answered Amos.
“Hmmmm,” said the merchant. “I would like to buy a piece. You don’t want to sell. I see we’re at an impasse. I’ll tell you what—to resolve this why don’t we play a harmless little game?”
The merchant took out a pair of dice. “If you win, you can have my entire cartload of all of my fine leathers. If I win, just give me one small piece of your special leather. What’s the risk? It’s little enough. Look at your hands. You’ve worked hard all of your life. Think of it—if you win, you get all this fine leather. And besides, you also deserve to have a little fun.”
At this moment, a strange excitement began to fill Amos at the prospect of an unexpected windfall. He thought to himself, “It’s true. I’ve worked hard for a long time. And besides, if I should lose, I can always substitute a small piece of ordinary leather for part of the boot. No one will ever know. And after all, it’s only a game.” With that, he gave his consent, and the merchant placed the pair of dice in Amos’ hands. He rolled, and on the very first cast, Amos won all of the merchant’s stock.
During the following week with the leather he had won, Amos began to make boots for the townspeople. These boots became surprisingly popular. As the supply of leather diminished, he secretly wondered if he would ever see the merchant again. But it was only a short time before the merchant reappeared.
As the merchant entered the shop, Amos felt the same sense of excitement he had felt before. The scene replayed itself, and again Amos won the merchant’s entire stock. The shoes made with the merchant’s leather kept on selling well. This scene was repeated many times in the following months. Amos continued to win, but now he also began to lose. And more and more often was required to part with a piece of the special leather. As his passion for the game grew, Amos even started to neglect crafting the boots for the travelers. Now his prayers, instead of just coming from the heart, also came from the desire to get more of the special leather in order to play the game.
One day Amos received a message from the merchant that he would not be coming to Agora for a while. At first the news did not bother him, but after a few days, he became increasingly uneasy, and realized that he missed the excitement of the game even more than he missed the merchant’s leather. After a few more days his uneasiness became unbearable, and he set out for the merchant’s village. Although arriving tired and bone-weary, Amos had such a passion for the game that it would not let him rest until he found the merchant’s house. Finally late that night, he rang the merchant’s bell.
“What are you doing here?” asked the merchant.
I’ve come to play the game,” Amos replied anxiously.
“Why not come back tomorrow, when you are rested?” advised the merchant.
“No, I want to play the game now,” demanded Amos.
“Well, if you must, come on in,” said the merchant, with a sly smile on his face.
Time passed. A year later, while making one of his now frequent trips to the merchant’s village, Amos passed an old woman sitting by the side of the road. Apparently she had fallen off her donkey and had hurt her leg. She asked him to stop and help her, but all Amos could say in his impatience to get to the merchant’s village was, “Don’t bother me. I’m in too big of a rush. Someone else will pass by soon.”
As he hurried along the road, Amos suddenly stopped, shocked by a deep realization of what he had become. “My God, what has happened to me?” he asked himself. “I would always help anyone who was in need. I used to love to work and to pray. Now look at me. All I live for is to play the game. All the money I’ve earned is not making me happy, and I now have neither the time nor enough of the special leather to make the boots God asked of me.”
At this moment, Amos began to suspect who the merchant really was. After going back to help the woman, he continued on his way to the merchant’s village. Arriving at the merchant’s house and confronting him, Amos shouted, “finally I know who you are. You are not really a merchant of leather, you are the Devil himself.”
The merchant laughed and said, “Amos, I see you have found me out. Now at last I can show you my real face.” With a flash, the Devil appeared in his true form.
Amos cried bitterly, “Don’t you realize what you have done? I was doing God’s work. Aren’t you afraid that God will be angry with you ?”
The devil smiled. “Angry with me? I doubt it. And besides who do you think sent me to you?”
“What do you mean?” asked Amos incredulously.
“Amos, haven’t you figured it out yet? Don’t you know, I also do God’s work,” replied the Devil.
Stunned and shocked, Amos stumbled into the street and somehow found his way back to the cave. Falling to his knees, he cried in agony, “Lord, why have you done this to me, why? I thought you loved me.” Ignoring his business, for many days and nights he stayed and prayed in the cave with an intensity he had never experienced before.
Time went by. One morning after praying through the night he fell into a deep sleep and in his sleep, he again heard God’s voice: “Amos, I do love you. After I made you my cobbler, you served me so well that I felt it was now your turn to climb the sacred mountain. But I saw that even your dedication and sincerity would not be enough to carry you past the obstacles that you would meet along the way. Every time you prayed in the cave I sent an angel to give you an example of what would be needed, but you were always so busy praying that you never heard. I finally had to send the Devil. He showed you, in his way, the intensity of desire necessary for your journey
Amos awoke, and although a look of understanding passed over his face, a feeling of sadness began to spread through his whole being. “Is it too late?” he asked himself. “I wonder what will become of me now? Will God ever forgive me?”
But as Amos looked up he saw that at the mouth of the cave there was a small bundle of the special leather–just enough for one more pair of boots.