Greed

I was pitching some hay to the cows the other day, and I realized how greedy they are. We have a lot of power over the cows because of their greed. The other way to control them is by physical force. They will come in the barn because there is grain in there. We can pitch some hay in front of the manger and the cows will come, then we can lock them up to do whatever we need to do with them.

 

The same thing applies to us. Others can have power over greedy people. Think about money. Some people will devote their whole lives to earning a lot of money. It controls them. On the other hand, you could just get enough for your basic needs. Like in the story Harvard Gringo. I’m not saying that money is a bad thing; it is just that we should not have any worldly thing control our lives. 

Greed and desire are a little bit different. Greed has more of a selfish connotation while desire is just wanting more. You could have a strong desire for more knowledge without being greedy. If you had a strong desire for money then you’re most likely greedy. But it also depends on what you use the money for. I will admit that I’m pretty greedy at times, and it lets people have power over me. We don’t want people having power over us, so lets try not to be greedy.

 By Jared Willis – age 14

My Work

I enjoy working. Without working hard you can’t get anywhere in life. I get to milk dairy cows as my job. When we milk the cows, there’s more than just milking. You need to feed the cows and the 0-3 month old calves. There are a lot of other things too, but we won't go into detail. 

Cows have a will of their own, and sometimes they get on my nerves. I’m trying to work on my patience. This job is one that I prefer over a lot of others. In the summer time I move sprinkler pipes, and help some neighbors with yard work. 

My dad has taught me since I was little that slacking doesn’t work. If we don’t do a good job on the work that he has given us, then he will give us an extra job in addition of our old job. As you can imagine, people start doing their job right the first time. 

My favorite part of my job is finishing. It makes me feel good when I can look and see that everything is complete and done right. I think that is what motivates me to work. 

In Proverbs 6:6 it tells the lazy people to follow the example of ant. We need to work hard. When we work hard, we will get rewards. An attribute of ants is that they work together. They are small but together they can do a lot. That applies to us. It is a lot harder to do something on your own, then with help.

by Jared Willis - age 14