Fruit.

A man owned a certain tree that just wasn’t doing well. It was very weak and sickly—nearly withered and dead. It bore one tiny fruit—scrawny and flavorless. So he asked a gardener friend to look at it.

The gardener was a very kind and generous man, always giving of himself, sharing not only his time and knowledge, but also fruits and vegetables from his own garden. He had the most gorgeous and successful harvest in the entire region. When he arrived to look at the tree, he immediately knew what had to be done.

“Ah, this is a very special tree,” he said. “But indeed it is not well. Look at the fruit on the vine. See how small it is. And I can tell that there is probably very little flavor or substance in it. While it may sound a little strange, if you do as I say, we can bring this tree back to life and it can possibly bear the most wonderful fruit in the region.”

Excitedly, the man said, “Yes! Please tell me what to do. I love this tree, and I don’t want to see it die. I have tried everything—I even toss away the bad fruit, hoping it will give the branches more strength to grow—and nothing has seemed to help.”

“This is what you are to do. Every day as you are watering the tree, speak to it, telling it only good things—tell it what beautiful fruit it has given you. Give it thanks for sharing of its goodness.  Feed it only with these words. Do this every day, no matter what. Soon this tree will produce new fruit. Do not discard it. Do not eat of it yourself. You are to take it from the vine and give it away. Do not try to sell it in the marketplace. Give it to someone else, expecting nothing in return. You must freely give it away.

“Do this every day. After many days, you will see that the fruit has grown in size and become more and more delicious, and the tree will flourish in strength and beauty. Not only this, but the fruit will begin to be produced in abundance and people will flock to you to partake of its goodness, being filled and using its seeds to plant their own trees.”

“Surely you’re kidding,” the man said. “That sounds ludicrous.”

“Well,” said the gardener, “you do as you see fit. You can let this tree wither away and see it be cut down, or you can listen to my words. Let my garden speak for itself.”

So, the man decided to do as the gardener advised. Each day, he watered the tree and as he did, he spoke positive words, telling the tree that it was the most beautiful, robust one in the land. He pulled the scrawny fruit and found someone to whom he could give it away—someone who was grateful to even have that as it was. A few weeks passed and he barely saw any difference, but he continued anyway. But one day, as he was watering the tree he noticed a rather beautiful fruit growing. After a few days, there were three, then four, and the man noticed that the tree seemed to look healthier and more robust. Every day, he gave the fruit to others, expecting nothing in return, and every day the tree grew in strength and beauty.

Soon, his tree was feeding a great number of people, many of whom planted their own trees from the fruit’s seeds and they also shared freely of their fruit. The region became lush and rich in harvest, drawing many who were hungry and in need of sustenance.

Are you watering your tree? Are you feeding it positive things? What kind of fruit are you bearing? And are you giving it away?