#1   THE WATCHMAN OF THE FISH

 

Once there was a man with a pond full of fish.  He was very fond of his fish.  They were rainbow trout—sleek and fat.  The man protected his fish.  He was incensed when he saw a blue heron standing like a statue beside the pond waiting for a fish to swim near enough to be grabbed.  He scared the bird away.  Each morning upon arising, before he did anything else, he checked his pond to ensure that no herons were there waiting to take his fish.  One blue heron came frequently; but just as soon as the heron arrived, the man was watching, and either clapped his hands or shot a gun to scare the bird away.  The heron became so nervous about the menacing man that at length it quit coming.  The man was glad, but continued to daily scan the banks of his pond so that he’d know when the heron returned.

The man watched, and was satisfied that his fish were safe.  But he neglected to look up.  An osprey had discovered the pond.  Twice a day the osprey circled the pond watching for a fish to come near the surface, then quick as a wink it dropped from the sky, grabbed the fish in its talons, and flew away with its prize.  Two fish a day were being taken from the pond, and the man never knew it until the fish were nearly all gone.

 

 

 

#2   THE WATCHMAN OF THE HOME

 

A man had a house full of happy children.  He jealously guarded his children to keep them from evil, carefully monitoring what they read, watched, and did.  The man watched, and was satisfied that his children were safe.  But he neglected to watch himself.  He became obsessed with far-off events and injustices, and became negative and fixated upon the problems.  His children gradually became negative, too, until one day they were no longer happy.

 

 

 

 

#3   THE MAN WHO WOULD BE PERFECT

 

There was once a happy man who determined to live a perfectly sinless week.  He knew his failings, and proposed to carefully watch his vulnerable areas so that none of his thoughts, words, or actions should ever cross into forbidden territory.

He agreed to help his wife with her class by being the projectionist to show a film during her lesson.  On Sunday he checked with the library, and reserved the projector for Wednesday.  On Monday he lived a perfect day.  On Tuesday he lived another perfect day.  On Wednesday he left his employment early in order to set up his wife’s class.  At the library he learned that the projector had been checked out, and was on Mrs. Hansen’s dining room table.  The man thought bad thoughts about the librarian for letting the projector go.  He tried to call Mrs. Hansen, but Mrs. Hansen was not at home.  He thought bad thoughts about Mrs. Hansen.  He dashed up town to rent a projector.  There was a long line ahead of him at the store.  He was in a hurry.  He thought bad thoughts about the people ahead of him.  The projector was exorbitantly expensive to rent.  He thought bad thoughts about the greedy store proprietor.  He raced back to his car with the projector, and found a parking ticket.  He thought bad thoughts about the meter maid.  He set up the projector.  It produced the picture, but it was a silent film.  He could get no sound to come out.  He thought bad thoughts about the world.

And then this normally happy man, who never got angry at anyone, suddenly thought about his thoughts, and about how easily his perfect week had suddenly become very much less than perfect, simply because he had forgotten to watch all of his thoughts, words, and actions.

 

Application:  One can’t be watchful and have narrow vision.

 

 

Mosiah 4:30:  “If ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish.  And now, O man, remember, and perish not.