[twinkley]

One day, while a woodcutter was cutting a branch off a tree above a
river, his axe fell into the river. When he cried out, the Lord appeared
and asked, "Why are you crying?" The woodcutter replied that his axe had
fallen into the water. The Lord went down into the water and reappeared
with a golden axe. "Is this your axe?" the Lord asked. The woodcutter
replied, "No." The Lord again went down and came up with a silver axe.
"Is this your axe?" the Lord asked. Again, the woodcutter replied,
"No." The Lord went down again and came up with an iron axe. "Is this
your axe?" the Lord asked. The woodcutter replied, "Yes."
The Lord was pleased with the man's honesty, gave him all three axes to
keep, and the woodcutter went home happily. One day, while the woodcutter
was walking with his wife along the riverbank, his wife fell into the
river. When he cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked him, "Why
are you crying?" "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 an untruth!" The woodcutter
replied, "Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see,
if I said 'No' to Jennifer Lopez, You will come up with Catherine
Zeta-Jones. Then, if I also say 'No' to her, You will thirdly come up
with my wife, and I will say 'Yes,' and then all three would be given to me. But Lord, I am a poor man, and I will not be able to take care of
all three wives, so that's why I said 'Yes' the first time."

The moral of the story is that whenever a man lies, it is for an
honorable and useful reason.