IF IT HADN’T BEEN FOR A CROOKED GROCERYMAN, J.C. Penny might have become the owner of a grocery store rather than the owner of a dry goods chain and at one time the nation’s leading merchandiser.
When he was just a teenager, Jim worked for a groceryman in Hamilton, Missouri. He liked the work and had plans to make a career out of it. One night he came home and proudly announced to his family that he had a very clever employer. You see, the grocer had a practice of mixing low quality coffee with the expensive brand and thus increasing his profit. Jim laughed as he told the story to his parents around the dinner table.
His father didn’t see anything funny about the practice. “Tell me,” he said, “if the grocer found someone palming off an inferior article on him for the price of the best, do you think he would think they were just being clever, and laugh about it?”
Jim could see his father was disappointed in him. “I guess not,” he replied. “I guess I just didn’t think about it that way.”
What a teaching moment! What an example of a father who took the time to warn his son of the danger of dishonesty and the importance of integrity in all we do.
Jim’s father instructed him to go back to the grocer the next day and collect whatever money due him and tell the grocer he wouldn’t be working for him any longer. Jobs were not plentiful in Hamilton then, but Mr. Penny would rather his son be unemployed than be associated with a crooked businessman.
Now if you know anything about the life of J.C. Penny, you are aware that he was a fine Christian man, known for his integrity. J. C. Penney's father was a farmer and unpaid Baptist minister who taught his children to believe in the Golden Rule. Young Penney wanted to be a lawyer but could not afford college tuition. After high school he worked on his father's farm and found employment as a clerk in a local dry goods store. He moved to Colorado, where he opened his own butcher shop, which promptly failed. He went to work in another dry goods store, and after a few years he was offered the job of assistant manager at a Wyoming shop called the Golden Rule Store. The store's name reflected his own philosophy of life, so he believed it was God's will that he take the job. Within a few years Penney was a partner in three Golden Rule stores, and in 1907 he bought out his partners.
Despite setbacks and reversals over the years, Penny’s business ventures eventually prospered, due in large part to his commitment to God and honesty. And it all began with a father who carefully and purposefully poured his Christian values into him.
You can never underestimate the value of a dad who cares enough to develop his children’s character. And all I can say is, “Lord, give us more dads like this one!”
When he was just a teenager, Jim worked for a groceryman in Hamilton, Missouri. He liked the work and had plans to make a career out of it. One night he came home and proudly announced to his family that he had a very clever employer. You see, the grocer had a practice of mixing low quality coffee with the expensive brand and thus increasing his profit. Jim laughed as he told the story to his parents around the dinner table.
His father didn’t see anything funny about the practice. “Tell me,” he said, “if the grocer found someone palming off an inferior article on him for the price of the best, do you think he would think they were just being clever, and laugh about it?”
Jim could see his father was disappointed in him. “I guess not,” he replied. “I guess I just didn’t think about it that way.”
What a teaching moment! What an example of a father who took the time to warn his son of the danger of dishonesty and the importance of integrity in all we do.
Jim’s father instructed him to go back to the grocer the next day and collect whatever money due him and tell the grocer he wouldn’t be working for him any longer. Jobs were not plentiful in Hamilton then, but Mr. Penny would rather his son be unemployed than be associated with a crooked businessman.
Now if you know anything about the life of J.C. Penny, you are aware that he was a fine Christian man, known for his integrity. J. C. Penney's father was a farmer and unpaid Baptist minister who taught his children to believe in the Golden Rule. Young Penney wanted to be a lawyer but could not afford college tuition. After high school he worked on his father's farm and found employment as a clerk in a local dry goods store. He moved to Colorado, where he opened his own butcher shop, which promptly failed. He went to work in another dry goods store, and after a few years he was offered the job of assistant manager at a Wyoming shop called the Golden Rule Store. The store's name reflected his own philosophy of life, so he believed it was God's will that he take the job. Within a few years Penney was a partner in three Golden Rule stores, and in 1907 he bought out his partners.
Despite setbacks and reversals over the years, Penny’s business ventures eventually prospered, due in large part to his commitment to God and honesty. And it all began with a father who carefully and purposefully poured his Christian values into him.
You can never underestimate the value of a dad who cares enough to develop his children’s character. And all I can say is, “Lord, give us more dads like this one!”
posted by kazookid | 2:05 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home