The other day, I was reminded of a short story from my childhood, which I thought could be readily adapted into a bulletin. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it or not, by my version goes something like this:

There was once a baker in a small village who made the most delicious cakes and pastries, but was in particular known for his breads. Every year he would travel to the fairgrounds near the castle for the harvest celebration, and compete with other bakers for the title of “Best In All The Land.” For as long as everyone could remember, the baker would win. It was getting harder and harder, though, because every year after the celebration young men from all over the kingdom would come and want to apprentice with him. After a few months, these young men would return to their own villages and become renowned bakers in their own right – and offer stiff competition to the master at the harvest celebration. Whisperers went around saying that the older baker was only winning because the others were letting him, or because he was a favorite of the judges.

When the baker heard these wagging tongues, he decided that this year he was going to prove once and for all that he was the best baker there ever was. He took no apprentices, and closed his shop for the last two months before the fair. When he arrived for the celebration, he brought wheat that was twice as tasty as he would normally use. He had found sugar that was twice as sweet, milk from cows twice as pure. He purchased bowls twice as big to mix in, and brought twice as many bread pans. He mixed up twice as much bread in the twice as large bowl, using twice as much yeast and turning it twice as long. The baker filled twice as many pans, and let them rise twice as much. He pounded them down twice as hard and twice as many times. Finally, he baked them in ovens twice as hot for twice as long.

Oooops. The baker with everything ends up with nothing.

The baker was consumed with pride, and let gossip goad him from his normal, successful path. The man truly was the greatest baker in all the land, but was brought down not by other bakers but by his own foolishness. A few unkind thoughts of others made him dissatisfied with just being a great baker. What can the story teach us?

Consider a family that has a house, a car, a home. They love each other and have everything they need. The man goes to work satisfied and secure. There, wagging tongues talk about success and what you need to have, like a boat – things that the man does not. The wife, perhaps, chats with a braggart neighbor who tells her of wonders that she owns, like jewelry or furniture – that the wife does not have. The children go to school and are barraged with friends who think owning video game XYZ is the “in” thing – something the children do not possess. A family who left home one morning with everything they ever needed come home sullen, disappointed, disillusioned. How do they fix this sad state of affairs? Remember the special thing they have? Oh no! They go out and buy bigger and better, of course! The man buys a boat twice as big as anyone else does – and spends all his time with it. The woman gets jewelry and furniture twice as good as anyone else does – and never has enough. The children get new video games twice as good as XYZ – and never do anything else but play them.

The family with everything ends up with nothing. Don’t think this happens? Yeah right.

Randy