A farmer grew an award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon. One day, a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked. “Why sir,” said the farmer, “didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.” He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor’s corn also improves.

What is the moral of this story? The good we do to others will redound to us. No wonder God commanded us to love one another with his love. It is not that the other will love us back but that love will be poured forth upon us from some source. The reward of love is love, which we need. So often we fail to love and as a result don't experience true love. God is wise. If only we could learn from his wisdom.