I received the following devotion this morning from a
special lady, and woman of God. (Thanks Y.B.) It is wonderful and I
feel that I needed to share it as today's devotion. It is one powerful
sermon!
The following pictures are of the same place but taken during different
seasons. Be sure to look at all the pictures and then read to the
end...
 Winter |
 Fall |
 Spring |
Summer |
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge
things too quickly So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a
pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in
summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back,
he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so
sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping
with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they
had each seen but only one season in the tree's life. He told them
that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the
essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that
life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring,
the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.
Moral:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't
judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches
and better times are sure to come some time or later.
*******************************************************************
I myself have been judged wrong, as I may have judged others wrong. As
the above story tells us, remember that each person we meet may be having a
difficult season in their life when we meet them. Not everyone is
having a beautiful spring day, some may be having a cold winter day. And as
we set judging them, we may should be loving them.
Just remember to love as Jesus loved and we all will be alright.
Blessings, Love, and Prayers,
Pastor Pat
Story Author: Unknown
Scripture: The NIV Bible