DILIGENCE: A PRICELESS
TREASURE
Will had been a hardworking gardener. He was a
conscientious and diligent man, perpetually active, never
lazy. Above all, Will was completely honest, a veritable model of
integrity. Now he was an octogenarian who realized with satisfaction
that he had accomplished all he could over the span of his
lifetime. One day, Will 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 orchard trees to bear sweet and delicious fruit!” the proud gardener
exclaimed.
“Yes, father. It’s an incredibly beautiful
orchard. Have you forgotten that we’ve tasted its delicious fruit
all these years?”
The gardener looked over at his familiar and useful spade,
which he still kept in a nearby corner. And then, he carefully examined
his aging hands, which were worn and wrinkled from decades of
labor. Afterwards, he noticed his sons’ hands, that were totally
soft due to a lack of diligent work.
Will 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 this, the gardener died.
His sons did not delay. They were saddened at
their father’s passing, but thrilled at the prospect of finding something of enormous
value that would allow them to live worry-free the rest of their
lives. So they took the spade their father 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, harvested their fruit,
and sold 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 wise father and to be a genuine blessing to their
families.
think…what are YOU doing? Are you laboring with diligence and determination and investing prudently
in your own life and the lives of others? Or, are you living far
beneath your privilege and potential?
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