Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Well - written by Alfred (a short story for kids)
Once upon a time in a place called Zimbabwe, there lived a man named Tenny. He wasn’t a Christian man and he hated even the very mention of Christianity. He had a wife and kid that he loved dearly but lately his local manufacturing business was going really slow and he could no more afford to take care of his beautiful wife and his sweet little boy.
Tenny and his wife started arguing regularly over financial issues.There was trouble in their home but both Tenny and his wife were Rooted – Africans, and Rooted – Africans don’t get divorced. Weeks pasted by and business was still bad.
Tenny, like many poor Africans, blamed rich people and the government for what they were going through.
The hatred and laments against rich people that Tenny made kept on growing every single day.
Tenny finally had to pull his kid out of school because business wasn’t moving and so he couldn’t pay the school fees.
In-spite of the fact that he hated Christians, Tenny knew his son had to be educated so like a man who had no choice, Tenny put his kid in a free Christian school sponsored by the generous donations of Christians in America.
The aspect of his sons schooling was taken care of thanks to the Christians he still hated. However, his mounting financial troubles didn’t go away. Tenny now began to think of cheating people in business even though it went against his conscience.
Tenny was still debating on whether he would or would not begin to cheat people in his business affairs, when his son walked up to him one day and confronted him about his hatred for Christians. Tenny’s son told him that he was told in school that Jesus loves everybody and all Christians are encouraged to love everybody which means that the Christians that he is wasting his time hating actually love him, so he should change.
Tenny’s son also added that they told him in school that anything worth doing is worth doing well, and that he believes that that is the reason the business hasn’t being going well. Tenny’s son told him that he is failing in business because he is not giving his best to even the minutest detail in every aspect of his business.
Tenny lost his temper. He could’t believe his son was teaching him. He couldn’t believe that his son had the guts to try to teach him. Tenny beat up his son as though he was beating an African drum. Then he talked his son out of embracing Christianity. Tenny matched to the school the next day and shouts at the principal. He also pulled his son out of the school after making quite a scene no one would be forgetting anytime soon.
Some days later, while working, Tenny pondered over what his son said and laughed over the idea of his son trying to teach him. But after pondering about it some more he decides to give it a shot. He had tried everything else and it didn’t help his business get better, he might as well try what his son said.
Tenny gave his best to the production, marketing and distribution of the product he manufactured; and it turns out that for the first time in a very long time, his entire stock is sold out.
Tenny realizes that there is truth in what his son told him after all. But Wait! Oh No!.. Now he has to un-convince his son that Christianity is bad and also convince the school to take his son back.
THE END.