Recognising Value

This little gem has been in my possession for a few years. It was a letter from a minister to his congregation.

Dear Friends,

It has been said that if you can't get what you want, you should want what you get. The wisdom of this idea is aptly illustrated by a story told to me by a friend during our recent holiday.
Many years ago it was the custom to hold annual "Hiring Fairs". At these fairs, farm workers offered themselves and their abilities to farmers for a mutually agreed price.

One such fair was held in Totnes in Devonshire. A certain farmer unavoidably arrived late at the fair and found that those who had arrived before him had selected the workers of their choice. There were only three workers remaining who had not been offered employment. Each of them had a particular disability. One had a wooden leg, one had a hump-back, and the other a "drag-foot". The farmer was delighted, promptly agreed a price with them and took them into his employment.

He had recently ploughed a large field in which to plant potatoes. His hired men were a god-send, for he had been quick to see the advantages of their relative disabilities. The man with the wooden leg was to walk up and down the rows in the field. Everywhere he went he would leave a hole in the soil. He was followed by the man with the hump-back, who would plant each potato in the holes made by the man with the wooden leg. Finally the man with the drag-foot was to follow them and cover the potatoes which had been planted. In this way, the entire field was planted to the farmer's satisfaction. He learned that a person's disability is his own special talent.

Blessed is the church that discovers how to use each member's disabilities as talents!