Cash Crop

I pretend that I just happen to be in the kitchen when the program comes on.

I putter around to justify my presence.

But the reality is that I am not just listening; I am engaged.

   

I find his message affirming.

I find his message to often be enlightening.

His words are more in line with my philosophy than those with whom I am affiliated.

Because truth be told, I am a secret fan of Joel Osteen.

Fairly recently Osteen spoke of the parable of a farmer who had planted wheat only to discover that an enemy had sown weeds among his crop. But instead of destroying the weeds, the farmer allowed them to grow undisturbed. It was at harvest time, that the weeds were most easily identified and discarded. The crop then went to market as planned where it yielded profit.

The point of the parable was to demonstrate that weeds are ubiquitous—that there are those who will always try to ease in on your growth. There are those whose purpose is to lessen you. But the best recourse is to ignore and keep your focus. Because in the end, all is revealed—and only the worthy show their worth.

And that is what popped into my mind recently when someone looked straight at me and then turned a cold shoulder to ease me out. I thought Oh no you di-n’t with a finger waving in a Hispanic accent.

I thought Oh no--You cannot make me small. You cannot distract me from my purpose. I thought I You are nothing more than a weed.

 So I marched into the circle of conversation--- and stood my ground undaunted--with zero sign of affect.

Because I believe the parable to be true: At some point all weeds reveal their unworth and objective. One cannot allow others to dictate your path. And when the sickle inevitably falls, true crops yield reward and weeds decay as mulch.

Who says one cannot learn much from Sunday morning TV?