Our pride sometimes causes us to want more for ourselves in life than God planned. Stanley Combridge's allegory illustrates the point.
One beautiful summer day, a king went out into his beautiful garden. But to his dismay, he found that all the plants were languishing. He asked an old oak at the gate what was the problem, and the tree complained that it was weary of life and determined to die because it was not as tall and stately as the pine.
Turning to the pine, he found that it was unhappy because it couldn't bear grapes like the vine. The vine trailed on the ground, dying, because it thought that depending on others for support was undignified. Sadly, the king walked away and was about to leave when he noticed a bright, uplifted face full of cheerfulness.
"Well, daffodil, I'm glad to find one brave little flower amid all this discouragement," he said. "You don't seem one bit disheartened."
"No, Your Majesty. I know I am of small account," the daffodil replied, "but I concluded you wanted a daffodil when you planted me, so I determined to be the very best daffodil that I possibly can be."
Adapted from Present Truth, July 1952
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