Proverbs 11:3 (ESV)
The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the
crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
An aging king woke up one day to the realization that
should he drop dead, there would be no male in the royal family to take his
place. He was the last male in the royal family in a culture where only a male
could succeed to the throne - and he was aging. He decided that if he could not
give birth to a male, he would adopt a son who then could take his place but he
insisted that such an adopted son must be extraordinary in every sense of the
word. So he launched a competition in his kingdom, open to all boys, no matter
what their background. Ten boys made it to the very top.
There was little to separate these boys in terms of
intelligence and physical attributes and capabilities. The king said to them,
'I have one last test and whoever comes top will become my adopted son and heir
to my throne.'
Then he said, 'This kingdom depends solely on
agriculture. So the king must know how to cultivate plants. So here is a seed
of corn for each of you. Take it home and plant and nurture it for three weeks.
At the end of three weeks, we shall see who has done the best job of
cultivating the seed. That person will be my heir-apparent.' The boys took
their seeds and hurried home. They each got a flower pot and planted the seed
as soon as they got home. There was much excitement in the kingdom as the
people waited with bated breath to see who was destined to be their next king.
In one home, the boy and his parents were almost
heartbroken when after days of intense care, the seed failed to sprout. He did
not know what had gone wrong with his. He had selected the soil carefully, he
had applied the right quantity and type of fertilizer, he had been very dutiful
in watering it at the right intervals, he had even prayed over it day and night
and yet his seed had turned out to be unproductive.
Some of his friends advised him to go and buy a seed from
the market and plant that. 'After all,' they said, 'how can anyone tell one
seed of corn from another?' But his parents who had always taught him the value
of integrity reminded him that if the king wanted them to plant any corn, he
would have asked them to go for their own seed. 'If you take anything different
from what the king gave you that would be dishonesty.'
'Maybe we are not destined for the throne. If so, let it
be, but don't be found to have deceived the king,' they told him. The d-day
came and the boys returned to the palace each of them proudly exhibiting a very
fine corn seedling. It was obvious that the other nine boys had had great
success with their seeds. The king began making his way down the line of eager
boys and asked each of them, 'Is this what came out of the seed I gave you?'
And each boy responded, 'Yes, your majesty.' And the king
would nod and move down the line.
The king finally got to the last boy in the line-up. The
boy was shaking with fear. He knew that the king was going to have him thrown
into prison for wasting his seed. 'What did you do with the seed I gave you?'
the king asked. 'I planted it and cared for it diligently, your majesty, but
alas it failed to sprout.' the boy said tearfully as the crowd booed him.
But the king raised his hands and signaled for silence.
Then he said, 'My people behold your next king.' The people were confused. 'Why
that one?' many asked. 'How can he be the right choice?' The king took his
place on his throne with the boy by his side and said, 'I gave these boys
boiled seeds. This test was not for cultivating corn. It was the test of
character; a test of integrity. It was the ultimate test.'
If a king must have one quality, it must be that he
should be above dishonesty. Only this boy passed the test. A boiled seed cannot
sprout.' Never!!
We live in a society that has become obsessed with
success and many show success at any cost. We say the end justifies the means.
It is the tragedy of life. You see, failure often is an invitation to God to show
that he is all powerful and does not need help to make us great or to bless us.
Dear Lord, help us to live our life with integrity. Help
us learn from the failures we have and use them to make us great in Your eyes.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
