The paradoxical commandment for today’s reading says that when we succeed, we will gain false friends and true enemies. I am always reminded of the story of the Prodigal Son whenever I think of this paradoxical statement. We’ve heard it and some of us have taught it. We’ve all made the point that when the younger son left with his inheritance and went to the city, he all of a sudden had lots of "friends" who soon disappeared when his money ran out.The movie Big comes to mind. Tom Hanks' character gets his Zoltar machine wish to become big, and finds success as an adult because of his child-like approach to everything. Along the way, he is befriended by those wishing to ride his coat tails, and he is hated by those who are envious of his success. (Now, the plot of the movie is all about him realizing that he doesn't want to grow up too fast, so the analogy breaks down at some point.) But he does have a moment when he realizes that he needs to succeed in order to accomplish his goal of getting back to being a kid again.
This movie is a hit by my criteria. It's entertaining with real-life application. When you are successful, people will pretend to be your friend. And when you are successful, there are people who want you to fail. Neither type of person will influence who you really are. So, determine to succeed...and likely, you will.
- Sheree Yasko Hill
