Procrastinators Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from chronic procrastination.

Dont' Judge Yourself by Where You Are Today

I read a story the other day that really spoke to me that I want to share with you.

“There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. Therefore, 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, and 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”.

This story whose author is unknown, tells an important truth that we must hear.
Too often, we judge our own lives by what we are experiencing at one moment in time, instead of keeping a right perspective and realizing that where we are today, is not our final destination.
I remember in the deepest and darkest midnight of my own life, how final everything seemed. I looked at my life and wondered what had happened to the happy, hopeful guy I had once been. It was a true winter season; the kind when you feel the icy grip of defeat wanting to hold you in its clutches and drag you to an early grave. Had I judged my life’s worth during that difficult season, I would have missed the beautiful years that have followed. We tend to forget that Spring follows Winter… don’t we?

I’m sure many looked at Jesus hanging on the cross that day on the hill called “The Skull” Golgotha; and surmised that this Nazarene was a failure. They didn’t know that three days later death would be defeated. The time of death, winter and starkness would be swallowed up by life, spring and resurrection.
If you give up when it is winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and fulfillment of your fall.

Douglas