Three Kernels of Corn
Three young men were once given three kernels of corn apiece by a wise old sage, who admonished them to go out into the world, and use the corn to bring themselves good fortune.
The first young man put his three kernels of corn into a bowl of hot broth and ate them.
The second thought, I can do better than that, and he planted his three kernels of corn. Within a few months, he had three stalks of corn. He took the ears of corn from the stalks, boiled them, and had enough corn for three meals.
The third man said to himself, I can do better than that! He also planted his three kernels of corn, but when his three stalks of corn produced, he stripped one of the stalks and replanted all of the seeds in it, gave the second stalk of corn to a sweet maiden, and ate the third. His one full stalk’s worth of replanted corn kernels gave him 200 stalks of corn! And the kernels of these he continued to replant, setting aside only a bare minimum to eat. He eventually planted a hundred acres of corn. With his fortune, he not only won the hand of the sweet maiden but purchased the land owned by the sweet maiden’s father. And he never hungered again.
Proverbs 11:24 NLT
It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything.
Proverbs 11:25 NLT
The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
What a wonderful story! It teaches us about giving, that those who gives more will receive even more. But wait, there is more!
This story of three kernels of corn also teaches us about investment.
The first person consumes all his corn without saving anything. He got immediate satisfaction, but he does not care about the future.
The second person represent people who invest their money, got the return, and immediately increase their life style. At the end, the second person’s corn amount is zero.
The third person plant his few kernels, take only ONE that he need, give, and re-plant the rest. This person does not change his lifestyle immediately, instead he waited patiently while his corn grows.
Which kind of person are you?