A hundred years ago in a Japanese coastal village the ground rumbled one autumn evening. The villagers brushed it off as just another earthquake, but above the village on a high mountain plain, an old farmer wasn't so sure. The dark water he could see in the distance acted strangely, moving against the wind and running away from land. Realizing what it meant, the old man called for a torch.
Behind his house a large crop of newly harvested rice lay piled in stacks. It was worth a fortune at the market, but the old farmer didn't hesitate. He set the torch to the dry stalks and ignited a blaze. Moments later, a large temple bell pealed in the village below, sounding the warning of fire.
The villagers hurried up the cliff to find the smiling old man greeting them. "He's crazy!" they thought, and began extinguishing the fire.
When the last villager reached the top, the old man pointed out to sea. "Look!" he shouted. On the horizon a long, dim line expanded and rushed toward land. A few moments later they felt the ground rock as the great sea wall crashed ashore. Their homes broke apart like matchsticks and the village below below disappeared.
A silence overcame the villagers as they stared down at what would have been their grave. Because they had rushed to the mountain top to fight the fire they had been saved. The old man softly said, "That's why I set fire to the rice."
As that old farmer knew, choosing wisely in life often means giving up something good for something even better. And seeing that 'better choice' takes vision.
Vision looks ahead and sees the consequences of your decisions. It sees beyond the ripples on the shore to the greater tides approaching.
What do you need to burn in your life to light the fire that will call the people to the mountain top?
