This wonderful story, read so beautifully by Wayne Dyer in "The Secrets of an Inspirational Life", is taken from Swami Satchidananda's "Beyond Words".

For "God", please read God, Allah, Krishna, Great Spirit or whatever sacred Source you hold that "Oneness" that we come from to be.


There was a man a long time ago who prayed everyday, "God, I really want you to come in person to have a nice, sumptious lunch with me."

Because he was constantly nagging, God appeared one day and said, "Okay, I'll come."
"God, I'm so happy," said the man. "When can you come? You must give me some time to prepare everything."
"Okay, I'll come on Friday."
Before he left, the man asked, "Can I invite my friends?"
"Sure," God said, and then he disappeared.

The man invited everybody and started preparing all kinds of delicious food. Friday at noon a huge dining table was set up. Everybody was there, with a big garland and water to wash God's feet.

The man knew that God is punctual. When he heard the clock chiming 12 he said, "What happened? God wouldn't disappoint me, he can't be late. Human beings can be late, but not God."
He was a little puzzled, but decided that he would wait another half an hour as a courtesy. Still, no God.

Then the guests began speaking, "You fool. You said God was coming. We had doubts. Why on earth would God come and eat with you? Now come on, let's all go."
The man said, "No, no, no, wait - wait," and walked inside to see what was happening.
To his great anxiety, he saw a big black dog on the dining table eating everything there.
"Oh no! God sensed that the lunch was already being eaten by a dog - that's why he didn't want to come!"
He took a big club and started beating the dog. The dog cried and ran away. Then the man came out to his guests and said, "What can I do? Now neither God nor you can eat because the food was polluted by a dog. I know that's why God didn't come."

He felt so bad he went back and started praying.
Finally God appeared to him again, but there were wounds and bandages all over his body.
"What happened?" asked the man. "You must have got into a terrible accident."
"It was no accident," said God. "It was you."
"Me? Why do you blame me?"
"Because I came punctually at noon and started eating. Then you came out and beat me - you clubbed me and broke my bones."
"But you didn't come."
"Are you sure nobody was eating your food?"
"Well yes, there was a big black dog."
"Who is that, then, if not me? I really wanted to enjoy your food, so I came as a dog."

As Wayne Dyer says, it's a cute, wonderful, profound story. If you can't see God everywhere, then you can't see him anywhere.