The Farmer's Corn
Theme: Community, Neighborly Love, and Shared Virtue
There was a farmer who grew the most award-winning, spectacular corn in the entire state. Every year he entered his corn in the state fair, and every year he won first prize.
A local newspaper reporter interviewed him to discover his secret. During the interview, the reporter discovered that the farmer actually shared his prized seed corn with all of his neighboring farmers.
"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours every year?" the reporter asked.
The farmer smiled. "Why, sir, don't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my own corn. If I want to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn as well."
Reflection
God did not design us to live in isolation. When we are selfish and ignore the spiritual or physical poverty of those around us, our own souls begin to degrade. The goodness, peace, and holiness of our own lives are deeply connected to how well we lift up our neighbors. To live virtuously is to help others live virtuously too.