HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

In a society where people celebrate men and women who have made it through dubious means, giving them awards, chieftancy titles, social media recognition and are even role models to other misguided people. Those people with integrity, who do things the right way are fast becoming an endangered specie.

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My grandfather narrated this story to me when I was growing up.

An aging King realized that if he died he has no heir to take over the throne. He decided to adopt a son. He organized a competition and 5 boys made it to the top. The King said to them, “I have one last test and whoever comes top will become my adopted son and heir to my throne. He gave each boy a seed of corn and told them to take the seed home, plant and nurture it for 3 weeks. The 5 boys took their seeds and ran home to plant their seeds. In one of the boys home, the boy and his parents were sad when the seed failed to grow. The boy had done everything but it failed. His friends advised him to buy a seed and plant it but his parents who had always taught him honesty refused. The day came and the 5 boys went to the palace. All the boys except one was successful.
The King went to each boy asking “Is that what came out of the seed I gave you?” And each boy said “Yes, your majesty”. The King would nod and move down the line until the last boy in the line whose seed did not grow. The King asked him “What did you do with the seed I gave you?” The boy said “I planted it and cared for it your majesty but it failed to grow.” The King went to the throne with the boy and said, “I gave these boys boiled seeds and a boiled seed cannot grow. If a King must have one quality, it must be honesty and only this boy passed the test.”

We live in a society where people do anything for success. God sometimes does not give us some things because he wants to teach us a lesson. we get back in life what we give to others. Whenever you take an action, always ask yourself this question am I giving fair value for the wages or money I hope to make.