DILIGENCE: A PRICELESS TREASURE

Wills had been a hardworking gardener.  He was a conscientious and diligent man, perpetually active and never lazy.  Above all, Wills was completely honest, a veritable model of integrity.  Now he was an octogenarian, one who realized with satisfaction that he had accomplished all that he could over the span of his lifetime.  One day, Wills called his two sons to his sickbed and asked, “My dear children, have you paid much attention to the beauty and bounty of my garden?”

“Yes father, we have.  Why do you ask us such a thing?”

“Just look out this window and you will see the wonderful potential of the trees in the orchard to bear sweet and delicious fruit!” the gardener exclaimed.

“Yes, father.  It is an incredibly beautiful orchard.  Have you forgotten that we have tasted its delicious fruit all these years?”

The gardener looked over at his familiar and useful spade, which he still kept there in the corner.  And then, he carefully examined his aging hands, which were worn and wrinkled from decades of labor.  Afterwards, he noticed his son’s hands, that they were totally soft due to a lack of diligent work.

Wills said, “My children, you have not worked a single day in your lifetime, and I have doubts whether you will work very hard in the future.  But there is something I must tell you.  Out there is a huge hidden treasure between the trees.  Both of you must dig into the earth and try to acquire this treasure.  All my property is yours, but you will have to put in strenuous effort.”  And after telling them so, the gardener died.

The sons did not delay.  They were saddened at their father’s passing, but thrilled at the prospect of finding something of value that might cause them to live worry-free the rest of their lives.  So they took the spade their father had kept in the corner and started digging in the earth between the trees.  They worked tirelessly for the whole week.  In the process of clearing the ground, they removed all stones and weeds.  But they failed to find any treasure beneath the ground.  So they changed locations and dug in the earth between other trees in the orchard.  They did not locate any treasure there either.  Nevertheless, after two months of intense labor in every part of the orchard, they noticed that all the trees were thriving, loaded down with enormous and plentiful fruit.

Both brothers worked well together, harvesting their fruit, and selling it in the marketplace.  And they received a huge sum of money for their efforts.  But by now, they understood the priceless worth and immeasurable value of labor.  They smiled brightly with a clear understanding of what their father had meant when he spoke the simple word, “treasure.”  Both brothers resolved to work consistently and harmoniously to honor the life and legacy of their father and to be a blessing to their families.       

So think…what are YOU doing?  Are you laboring with diligence and determination to invest in your own life, and in the lives of others?  Or, are you living far beneath your privilege and potential?

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed!