The Most Influential Person Who Never Lived
A farmer, ragged and barefooted, was standing on the steps of his raggedy shack. A stranger stopped for a drink of water and he asked: “How is your cotton coming along?”
Farmer: “Ain’t got any.”
Stranger: “Did you plant any?”
Farmer: “Nope, afraid of boll weevils.”
Stranger: “Well, how is your corn?”
Farmer: “Didn’t plant any, afraid there would be no rain.”
Stranger: “Well, how are your potatoes?”
Farmer: “Ain’t got any, scared of the potato bugs.”
Stranger: “Really, what did you plant?”
Farmer: “Nothing, I just played it safe.”
So you got to ask: “How safe is it to not have any crops at all?”
This Sunday we’ll compare and contrast this farmer’s lack of confidence with Matthew’s story of an indiscriminate sower who kept planting knowing some would neither sprout nor grow. We’ll even compare the farmer to Atticus Finch.
See you then. — Dave
