The Parable Of “THE MANGO, COCONUT AND BITTER LEAF.”
Listen my Son, your antagonist will increase at every second of your progress. My entrepreneur father said some few years ago.
As he walked through the environment, he said, walk with me. I have something to show you.
He went to the *mango tree* at the backyard, and requested I pluck a fruit from the tree. Actually the ripe one.
I looked carefully and replied; Sir, I can’t see any ripe one here. He stared at me for few seconds, this time, my heartbeat increased.
He had actually warned me to be prudent like King Solomon anytime I come close to him because the race is not for the ignorant anymore.
I adjusted my breath for another few seconds, I said again, Sir, I can’t find any ripe MANGO. Beautiful, he said, with a confident tone. Then he continued,
Nobody will know you when you are not ripe. Nobody will attack you when your glory isn’t showing. At this stage, you are like the unripe fruit. Ignored, deserted, overlooked because your fruit is not nutritional.
Here is your first lesson Son, don’t fight to be seen or noticed, rather work on your fruit to be ripe. It’s the nature of human to ignore people that are not productive. *To be noticed, work more on your seed.
Come with me, this time, he took me to another tree, full with ripen fruit. Look around here and pluck me two fruit. I looked critically at *the coconut tree,* it was tall and uneasy to get, so I carefully took a big stick and hit it from afar, it fell to the ground so loud. Then I gave the two fruit to him. Then he said,
Here is it Son, the more productive you become, the more enemies you attract just like the coconut tree. It’s the nature of human to come for you because you are ripe. They attack you just like you attack the coconut tree.
Don’t be moved, it’s your right to fulfill destiny no matter the attack on you. Keep growing. You are growing for two purposes.
One, as a shade for those that are helpless to hide and two, as a fruit for those that are hungry to eat from.
Understand this, your COURSE is beyond the attacker. Grow your lens of reasoning if you will last long as a fruitful tree.
You see that coconut tree, no matter how many you pluck, it won’t dry up because of you. It will keep producing more coconut. It is because it produces more that makes it relevant in my compound. If not, I would have uprooted it a long time ago.
Just because your partner betrays your love doesn’t stop you from loving someone else. You are productive, and you need to show your commitments as a tree that is fruitful, not as a tree that dries up, because of one person that plucks from it.
Just because someone defrauds you, is not enough reason not to trust. Trust is part of what makes your tree productive. Keep trusting till it gets you to your breakthrough.
Just because some people don’t like what you do is not enough reason not to like yourself. Be your first admirer. Treat yourself with so much love and respect.
Nature will command people to take the course of likeness on you.
See Son, look at that *bitter leaf* at the other side of the compound, go and taste it. I moved a bit and I said, Sir, I don’t really like it. He smiled and said, Son,
This shows that, not everyone will like what you do, but you must never allow that to determine how you grow.
That bitter leaf is never scared of growing no matter the hatred you have towards it because it knows, one day, you will come looking for it and it will be your only saviour at that time. You will give it all the attention you thought you couldn’t give.
Don’t stop growing Son. When your enemy increases for no reason, pay attention, your success is taking another dimension they can’t handle, the effect is dimensional.
The bitter leaf will attract enemies because of the kind of projection and growth it takes but sooner, it will be the ultimate search for many in few months to come. *You are an ultimate search for someone tomorrow, so learn to improve your skills of growth today.
You are not growing to compete with the next person.
Coconut tree doesn’t compete with Apple tree, their seasons of growth and cycle is different. Learn to apply this in your journey in life.
Your competition is not with someone else. God who kept you on this Journey knows when your fruit will ripe, so don’t envy others when their fruit is ripe. Seasons of growth is what matters. Move and grow at your own pace.