There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment. The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.  He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up. If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. Moral: Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.                                        I myself have been judged wrong, as I may have judged others wrong.  As the above story tells us, remember that each person we meet may be having a difficult season in their life when we meet them.  Not everyone is having a beautiful spring day, some may be having a cold winter day. And as we set judging them, we may should be loving them. For one day we may need that person of someone to help lead us through the Winter Seasons of our life. Just remember to love as Jesus loved and we all will be alright.   GALATIANS 6-3,5 FOR IF ANYONE THINKS HIMSELF TO BE SOMETHING, WHEN HE IS NOTHING HE DECEIVES HIMSELF. BUT LET EACH ONE EXAMINE HIS OWN WORK, AND THEN HE WILL HAVE REJOICING IN HIMSELF ALONE, AND NOT IN ANOTHER. FOR EACH ONE SHALL BEAR HIS OWN LOAD.   Author: Pastor Pat Amen DECEMBER 2009 copyright   Presented by Heather: site owner used with permission