LEARNING FROM THE PENCIL: PARABLE

LEARNING FROM THE PENCIL

A PENCIL PARABLE

In the beginning, the Pencil Maker spoke to the pencil saying, "There are five things you need to know before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and you will become the best pencil you can be." First, you will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Almighty God’s hand. Second, you will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but this is required if you are to become a better pencil. Third, you have the ability to correct any mistakes you might make. Fourth, the most important part of you will always be what's inside. Fifth, mo matter what the condition, you must continue to write. You must always leave a clear, legible mark no matter how difficult the situation.

The pencil understood, promising to remember, and went into the box fully understanding its Maker's purpose.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you; always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be. First, you will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess. Second, you will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.  Third, you will be able to correct mistakes you might make or grow through them. Fourth, the most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

On every surface you walk, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to serve God in everything. Everyone is like a pencil created by the Maker for a unique and special purpose. By understanding and remembering, let us proceed with our life on this earth having a meaningful purpose in our heart and a relationship with God daily.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE: A LESSON FROM A STARFISH

MAKE A DIFFERENCE: A LESSON FROM A STARFISH

A wise man was taking a sunrise walk along the beach. He came upon a young man who was picking up starfish from the sand and tossing them gently back into the ocean. “What are you doing?” The wise man asked.

“The sun is coming up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they will die,” was the young man’s reply.

To that the wise man replied, “But there are miles and miles of beach and millions of starfish. “You cannot possibly make a difference.”

The young man bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it lovingly back beyond the breaking waters. “I made a difference for that one,” he replied.

THE SEED: A BEAUTIFUL STORY OF HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

THE SEED: A BEAUTIFUL STORY OF HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, ‘It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. ‘The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. ‘I am going to give each one of you a SEED today – one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.’

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by — still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil – He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot…

But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the boardroom. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful — in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. ‘My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,’ said the CEO. ‘Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!’

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot.. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, ‘The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!’

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed – Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, ‘Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!

His name is Jim!’ Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed.

‘How could he be the new CEO?’ the others said.

Then the CEO said, ‘One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!’

End of story.

I have read variations of this story credited to anonymity but in terms of lesson is worth repeating specially in a country like ours that need to be reinforced with lessons on virtuous leadership.

Scriptures say whatsoever you sow you shall reap.

Plant honesty and reap trust.

Plant goodness and you reap friends.

Plant humility and reap greatness

Plant perseverance and reap contentment

Plant consideration and reap perspective

Plant hard work and reap success

Plant forgiveness and reap reconciliation

Plant faith in GOD and reap a harvest.

I guess the question is what are you planting now?

Nails In The Fence

"Once we created a hole in someone's life, it is not easy to forget..."

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. 

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. 

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. 

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there." 

The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked up at his father and said "I hope you can forgive me father for the holes I put in you." 

"Of course I can," said the father.