How to make the best use of days
Four people died and went to heaven. They formed a nervous line outside the pearly gates. In front of the gates stood Saint Peter, holding four books, each summarizing one of the four’s lives.
The first man in the line stepped forward and stood in front of Saint Peter, who was scanning the summary page of this fellow’s life.
This first person had possessed average intelligence and abilities. In his time, he had married and raised a family; applied himself and risen to the position of foreman at the local factory; volunteered faithfully at his church; participated as a Little League coach; and been on the school board.
“You’ve used your time well,” said Saint Peter, looking up. “I need more like you down there. So I send you back to resume your life as a pillar of the community. You will have your dignity and the respect of others.”
Poof. There was a cloud of smoke and the man vanished from sight.
The next person, a woman this time, stepped forward. Saint Peter studied her thin book of life, grunting several times. Finally, his gaze fell upon her.
“You had fair abilities and intelligence. You used none of them. You merely existed in your time. You avoided work and strain at all cost. Your love of idleness led to a life of frivolity. And so, since you have proven yourself worthy of little more than eating and sitting, I return you to Earth as a cow. There you can graze in idleness until the day of your slaughter.”
Poof. There was a cloud of smoke, and the woman was gone. The two people remaining in line thought they heard a mooooooo.
After witnessing this harsh judgment, the next person in line hesitantly stepped forward. He was a middle-aged man who fidgeted as Saint Peter thumbed through his book with heavy sighs.
“You were gifted with the genius to be a writer unlike the world has ever read, and you had the occasion to engage this ability,” said Saint Peter. “You were compelled by an inner urge to write, but you drowned it in drink. Instead, you became a laborer. You spent beyond your means. And your wanton lifestyle trapped you into wage slavery. You failed your destiny, and the world will never know the books that only you could have written. Since you have proven yourself capable of work without thought, I return you now as an ox to plow fields in the hot sun, where your genius will be unneeded.”
Poof. The man vanished in a cloud of smoke.
The final woman stepped forward with a sense of calmness unlike the others. Saint Peter looked up from her book and studied her with unveiled interest.
“You used your mind, you found your interests, you used your time with care, and you weathered the storms of life.” A smile formed on Saint Peter’s face. “You engaged with deep concern for others, and you learned the many rewards of selflessness. You raised a family, impacted the common good, lived by your values, and followed your inner voice.
“What am I to do with you?” Saint Peter shrugged. “I send you back as an earthen angel, where your influence will grow. Let your light shine.”
What’s the moral of the story?
If you don’t want to be thought of as a cow, engage your time and don’t be lazy. If you don’t want to work like an ox for eternity, use your gifts, work intelligently, and control your spending. At the very least, live with dignity and choose to contribute to a worthy cause, whatever you decide that is, by listening to your inner voice.
– Excerpt from The Wealthy Gardener