One day a woodcutter was cutting a branch when his axe slipped and fell into the river below. He fell on his knees and prayed and the Lord appeared.
"Why are you crying?", the Lord asked. The woodcutter replied that his axe had fallen into water.
The Lord went down into the water and reappeared with a golden axe. "Is this your axe?", he asked.
"No", The woodcutter replied.
The Lord went down again and came up with a silver axe. "Is this your axe?"
"No", he replied again. The Lord went down a third time and came up with an iron axe.
"Is this your axe?", the Lord asked.
"Yes!", he said.
The Lord was so pleased with the man's honesty that he gave him all three axes to keep, and the woodcutter went home happily.
Some days later while he was walking with his wife along the riverbank, she slipped and fell into the river. He dropped onto his knees and the Lord duly appeared again.
"Why are you crying?", the Lord asked.
"Oh Lord, my wife has fallen into the water!"
The Lord went down into the water and came up with Jennifer Lopez.
"Is this your wife?" the Lord asked.
"Yes!" cried the woodcutter.
The Lord was furious. "You cheat! That is a lie!"
The woodcutter replied, "Pardon me, Almighty! But there's a reason for my lie."
You see, if I had said "No" to Jennifer Lopez, you would come up with Catherine Zeta-Jones and then my wife. I would say "Yes" when my wife came up and you would leave all three with me. But Lord, I'm a poor man, and I wouldn't be able to take care of all three wives! That's why I said "Yes" the first time."
~Subramaniam Murugan.